Meant To Be
by bethany1991xxx
Summary: "She gazed into his angry narrowed eyes, they were blue, deep like an ocean, full of pain and hurt but also held an almost invisible flicker of kindness." Meet a sweet young girl called Alice as she battles to survive in this apocalyptic world and the unique bond that blooms between her and everybody's favorite Dixon. All feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading! :) x
1. Chapter 1

**Meant to be.**

Daryl Dixon's hunting trip had been very successful, he had a string of twelve dead squirrels tied neatly around his chest. It was more than enough for the camp to keep going a few more days but he still wasn't satisfied. He liked the distraction of the hunt plus the other survivors back at camp didn't interest him at all, they kept their distance and he kept his. That's how he liked it, the only person he was close to, Merle, his brother, had gone on a run into the city with a few others for more supplies.

He knew Merle didn't go to help the group, his stash had been running low. The only thing his brother knew about and used to make a living from was drugs. That and chicks Daryl smiled to himself, remembering how many times his big bro had tried to get him laid and how many women Merle used to take for himself. On the bad side his brother was a tad racist, had a foul mouth, viewed women like pieces of meat, that sexist word got thrown at him alot. The camp only tolerated the Dixons because they knew how to hunt. As long as the food kept coming things were peachy.

Before long he had wandered out further into the forest than he meant to, the light was fading too. It was autumn, the few hours of light during the day giving way to a full moon that hung lazily in the sky. The ground was carpeted in a mixture of red, brown and orange leaves that would crunch under foot but Daryl was a natural hunter, his feet barely made a sound. Something else wasn't so skilled, every few seconds he heard rustling coming from different directions. He slowed right down, focusing on every tiny movement to pinpoint exactly where it was coming from, always alert and ready to defend himself. Everything fell silent for several minutes, the only audible motion where his own raspy breaths. The temperature was rapidly dropping, chilling even his immaculately toned exterior, his tattered sleeveless shirt doing little to warm him.

A deep moan howled from the left side and without hesitation he swung himself round crossbow at the ready. Narrowing his eyes he could just make out a walker hobbling along. It hadn't seen him yet, it was plodding around with a scent more interesting than his own clinging to its decaying nostrils. The side of it's was face missing, allowing pointy cheekbone to protrudes through aswell as one arm barely hanging on by strings of flesh. Flexing his biceps Daryl crept closer, crossbow aimed to it's squishy, bald head, eyes scanning the area for signs of more of them. As his finger pressed down on the trigger the walker's gangly arm hit the floor with a thud, crimson blood spewing onto the nearby trees. "Ewww" an unseen female voice shrieked in disgust.

Stepping out from behind a rotting tree was a slender female form silhouetted by the moonlight. Without thinking of the danger from either her or more possible walkers he sprinted over, one arrow flying ahead of him piercing zombie brain in a perfect shot.

Her green eyes glistened as an icy wind bit at her face, it was so cold but her cheeks felt hot. The mysterious man who had flown through the woods to her rescue retrieved his arrow, easily sliding it from that creature's skull with a squelch. "Ya'll right?" He asked, words slathered in a thick southern accent. Drawing a little closer he drunk up every part of her appearance that he could make out. Even in the darkness he could see her hair cascading down to her hips in a golden blonde mass. Her eyes were huge despite being sunken by dark circles, they looked up at him holding no threat or malice, just vulnerability. Her trembling lips where plump and had formed into a smile as she ate up his appearance just as eagerly. There was no doubt that she was pretty.  
"I'm fine! I haven't seen someone...well someone alive..for ages!" He didn't respond, his instincts had kicked in. "You bit?" He demanded. "Nah." she shrugged carelessly, knowing the routine question very well by now. He moved towards her expecting her to back away like most women did to him but she stood her ground defiantly. "I need to check you." She gazed into his angry narrowed eyes, they were blue, deep like an ocean, full of pain and hurt but also held an almost invisible flicker of kindness.

She knew she should run away from a stranger especially being in the apocalypse and all but she trusted him, he had gone out of his way to help. Whether or not it was the right move she surrendered, every part of her being so sick of running. "Go ahead" she nodded, averting her gaze shyly from him before the frisk began. She lifted her arms above her head which caused her breasts to jiggle slightly as Daryl placed his hands on her, he noticed that, he noticed that her skin was a beautiful ivory colour and that she smelt earthy, she was young, slender but curvy. He felt a twitch in his underpants as his fingertips brushed against her hips and knew there was no chance to finish his examination, pulling his hands away and backing up. "Satisfied?" She smiled hopefully. He hadn't seen a smile like that in a long time, was she out of her mind? The dead were walking around, people were killing each other and she didn't seem aware of anything. "Why the fuck you so cheerful?" "I haven't seen survivors in months" her smile faded slightly from his hostile reaction. He scanned the open clearing around where they stood wondering where the hell she'd come from or if she was lying to draw him into some sort of ambush. "I'm by myself." she whispered, snapping him out of his thoughts. "How ya been survivin' then?" He challenged although his guard was dropping much quicker than it should have. Fastening his crossbow onto his shoulder he tried desperately to avoid making eye contact with this girl who made him nervous. She took the chance to stare at his face, he was covered in dirt with dried blood matting his brown hair, he had a little scruffy beard giving him that rugged unkempt look, his eyes were scrunched into a frown and his lips in a scowl, despite everything it was obvious that he was gorgeous...she felt drawn to him. "I move around alot, scavenge what I can. Came across a few groups of survivors but I wasn't willing to do the sort of things they did..." she replied solemnly. Murder. Torture. Rape. Leaving people to die without a second thought. He knew exactly what she meant, most people were like that now, becoming animals to survive. He nodded to the dead body on the floor "You ain't scared of 'em?" "Well.." she began, kicking it's lost limb across the floor "I'm not crazy about the smell and when their arms or legs fall off it really grosses me out.. but they're slow, I can kill 'em no problem." He remembered the sound she made earlier- it's arm falling off had given away her position, stupid girl. He couldn't help but smile though.

What now? Take her back to camp? Could she be trusted? There was no choice.  
"Ya wanna come wi' me back to ma group?" He asked in a softer voice than he meant to, almost a plead. "I haven't got anything else planned. Lead the way." she shrugged with a grin. She'd been on her own for too many long months, she hoped this group would be different, she was sick of watching her own back every day, living in constant fear. When they arrived back at camp after a long walk in silence a group of ten or so people were sitting around a roaring fire. It was a nice little spot they had found, on top of the small mountain that was surrounded by woodland. There was a little make-shift car park with one R.V, a couple of cars and trucks. By that were tents dotted around like little houses on their own rural street, for the end of the world it was quite cosy.

Everybody was stunned into silence as the new girl came into view, lagging slight behind Daryl. They all flocked over to meet her out of sheer curiosity and partly fear of an unknown fellow human. She stood slightly behind Daryl as a burly man strode over to them, not looking too pleased. "What the fuck Daryl? Thought you went looking for food?" This dark haired man grinned menacingly, eying up Daryl's find. Straightening herself up like on a first day of school she prepared for the best first impression possible "Hi I'm.." she begun but cut herself off, so shocked that she couldn't remember her own name, it had been such a long time since anyone had asked for it.

Nobody cared that she didn't have a name, they were just overjoyed to see a new face, a living person that was as friendly and intent on surviving as they were. Taking it in turns to meet and greet they politely shared their own names instead. Acceptance was given almost instantly, she was bombarded with hugs and kisses as she was welcomed into the group like an old friend come back from a long vacation. The burly bloke Shane questioned her like a cop about everything, where'd she come from, how she'd been staying alive, that sort of thing. The way he looked at her made her uncomfortable and his body was too close, kind of like he was intimidating her and coming on to her at the same time. "I started from Atlanta and gradually worked my way around." she shrugged, pulling back from him, wriggling closer to Daryl who tensed up as she brushed against him. Not surprisingly he hadn't been among the huggers, just observing on the side lines. "Back off, asshole." he growled towards Shane. Lori, a skinny woman with long dark hair and a young boy by her side called Carl, intervened, "She's tired and hungry, Shane, just leave it. You can see she isn't a danger to anyone." Shane didn't even think about it, he did what he was told, backing off with a curt little "Welcome to the group lil lady."


	2. Chapter 2

It was nice being around people again, chatting, smiling, telling jokes, just like it used to be. She smiled to herself and joined the group around the crackling fire for dinner comfortably settling in to the warm atmosphere with ease. Carol had cooked the meal and her daughter was passing the plates around politely. "Beans again.." Lori's son Carl grumbled as the food was dished out. There was squirrel meat mixed into the overcooked beans which nobody mentioned so that the kids would eat up without a fuss. It didn't taste all that bad, forgetting that it used to be a cute little woodland creature it was similar to pork. "It's not much but at least it's warm, right?" An older man, called Dale, with snowy white hair grinned at the new girl. She returned his smile "Thanks again everyone for taking me in. " Looking around, Shane caught her eye with a snide comment. "You might not be so pleased about it when you're scrubbing my pants tomorrow morning."

Daryl sat away from the rest, somewhat peacefully alone in his tent but he could clearly hear her voice, that girl. He rested his head on his hands and lay back trying to ignore the strange thoughts in his head. "I'm going to take some food to Daryl." Carl piped up. He thought the silent hunter with the crossbow was pretty cool. "Nuh-uh. Last time you did that you came back with cuss words I've never heard before!" Lori scolded him gently, glimpsing at Shane with a grin. Everybody started to giggle. "I'll do it" the newest member offered kindly, taking the plate and making her way over to Daryl's tent before anyone could disagree. Just before calling his name for some reason she tidied her hair and wiped her mouth just in case she had bean juice on her face like a messy toddler, she didn't know why she had bothered, she didn't even know this man why would he care about her appearance?

"Hey, Daryl? " she called. Slowly the tent door unzipped open, a scowling face appeared from his dingy den. "Hope I didn't wake you, I brought your dinner over." He barely let her finish before ripping the plate from her hands and shoveling food down with his fingers like an animal, not bothered in the slightest about his appearance in front of her! As she turned to leave his eyes stuck to her curves, the tattered skirt that clung to her legs just above the knee, the blouse that had clearly once been white was now a faded gray missing the top buttons to expose her bountiful cleavage. "So if ya piss me off wha' ma suppose ta call ya?" His words drew her right back to him just like he wanted. He didn't know how to start a normal conversation with her or anyone for that matter, he was uncomfortable with her close by but didn't like her leaving. Unlike everyone else she wasn't afraid of him, she could see through his macho bullshit, he was just insecure, 'I wonder why?' She thought to herself sadly, maybe he had lived a tough life before all this...just like she had.

In a bold move she plonked her butt down right beside him on his ruffled sleeping bag, it felt warm and very inviting. He flinched as she did so. He wasn't used to this, people usually keep their distance like he was some sort of monster but she didn't, not yet anyway. "I dunno. I would prefer you to use my name instead if swearing at me. If I could remember what it was!" she laughed. It was clear for him to see that her smiles and laughs covered something, this time sadness for a lost identity swallowed up by this apocalyptic world but he chose not to comment. "So think of a new one." he bluntly put it, with Curiosity finally getting the better of him he gazed into her tired eyes, desperately searching for something only he wasn't sure what it was. The world around them suddenly disappeared in a flash, nothing else existed except for them for a few blissful seconds. They were locked in each others eyes, electricity jolting between them, heat radiating from both bodies trying to lure the other closer, within reach. It was intense. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest like it was trying to break free to be with Daryl instead, sweat was building upon his forehead in neat little beads, his fingers unbearably itchy with anticipation. Taking a deep breath she burst the bubble abruptly "Like what?" turning away to hide her burning red cheeks. 'Tha' fuck was tha?' Daryl thought in disbelief, his breathing finally slowing down. He glanced at her once more, a name popping into his brain. "Alice is nice."

When Daryl Dixon was just a kid he'd only one treasured possession in life. After his mum died his dad had become more abusive, Merle had taken off leaving Daryl with a hunting knife, a symbolic tool so that he could survive alone, no matter what. The number of animals that had fallen to his blade was well into the thousands. Even now where there's danger around every corner it was especially valuable. Something that could be so special, saved his ass on numerous occasions deserved a name. That's right, this was the second time he was naming something precious Alice.

As soon as she returned to the others she announced "My name is Alice". It didn't matter what she had been known as before, new world; new people, new name. "What a beautiful name." Carol smiled warmly, sideways glancing cautiously at her husband Ed who was looming behind her at every moment, keeping watch, assuring she didn't step out of line. "Thank you" Alice grinned. Several hours had flown by, stories were swapped and new bonds were created. As the excitement fizzled out into drones of conversation the day finally caught up with Alice "I'm pretty tired so I think I'm gonna crash." After everyone wished her a goodnight and drifted off to their own accommodation Amy pulled her into the RV, away from the spare tent Shane had put up for her. "Come on, you have to stay inside for tonight at least. We've made a bed up for you."

The RV was certainly spacious, it did feel like walking into a deluxe one bed apartment owned by someone's grandmother. It belonged to Dale, who treated it with such devotion it was pristine, Alice hadn't come across somewhere so lush in a recent time of raiding run down houses. The sofa bed was opened out with a pea green pillow and duvet both with a matching rose pattern, very feminine. Judging by the look on her face Amy added "They're mine but after everything you've been through I think you deserve them tonight." Amy grinned at the worn and nervous girl who stood awkwardly by the bed. "If you want to talk about something or just gossip don't hesitate, ok?"she added, pulling Alice into a cuddle. Alice was the same sort of age as Amy, she really felt for the poor girl, she'd been alone whilst the world became a living hell. Alice was exhausted she couldn't remember the last good sleep she'd had..six months maybe more but a part of her couldn't relax. "Actually I have a it safe here?" Dale, who was on top of the RV on his deck chair a rifle in hand, was listening intently to their conversation through the open sun roof. "The men take turns to keep watch at night but anyway nothing comes up this far."Amy answered reassuringly with an arm squeeze to match. Guiding Alice into her bed for the night was easy, she didn't need much persuasion. "So you have absolutely nothing to worry about." Amy smiled warmly tucking a lose strand of hair behind Alice's ear,wished her goodnight and shut the light off as she exited the motor home to a downgrade of an uncomfortable tent for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Alice lay awake listening to the sounds of the night, clutching her knife, on edge, ready to react at any second. The wind whistling, leaves rustling, hushed voices and the occasional owl all made her jump. No matter how hard she tried to relax she simply couldn't she'd been watching her own back for far too long, danger was everywhere. She focused on Dale whistling up on the roof some silly chocolate bar jingle it served as a reminder that someone was keeping guard. Gruesome thoughts of walkers ripping innocent people apart, her slaughtered family haunted her...and what had happened in Daryl's tent, like some weird gravitational pull. She had never felt that buzz with any man before let alone some stranger. Reliving past sexual encounters was definitely not the best cure for insomnia! "Grrr..." she mumbled to herself tossing and turning, trying every position to get comfortable but It was no use, she wasn't going to sleep. She was pissed off as she swung herself out of bed, pulled her boots on and clambered up onto the roof to join Dale.

The first beams of dawn were peaking through the gray clouds, illuminating their little camp and the surrounding forest, it should have been beautiful but nothing in this world was anymore. "Hey little lady, thought you would be out cold." he grinned,removing his fishing hat in a gesture of politeness. She shrugged in reply with a weak smile and he gestured for her to sit on the chair by him, he'd never had kids but was pretty good at the whole father figure thing, offering advice, listening and sticking up for the ones who needed defending. They started chatting away about nothing in particular at first and then he told her about everyone in the group. He was a sweet old man, he had nodody of his own left but had grown very attached to Amy and her sister Andrea who was one of the ones that had gone into the city. After about an hour she knew the dirt on pretty much everyone.

Ed beats his wife Carol, something dodgy is going on with Shane and Lori, who's husband died not long ago leaving Carl without a father and the Dixon brothers had been acting suspiciously before the eldest Merle had gone on the city run. "Daryl seems nice enough to me." Alice spoke after a few moments in silence. Dale gave her a cheeky sideways glance. "Deep down he's a good guy, it's his brother that leads him astray in my opinion. He can be an asshole but sometimes he does things so you can tell he's alright. Like last night for example, he helped you out and he provides food for the camp." Shane appeared from a tent, followed by Lori a few minutes after, her son still fast asleep like the other kids were as all of the adults rose to begin the days work. Alice cast her eyes over to Daryl's tent, nope, still no sign of life. "He did. I'm grateful to him and to all of you. It's nice being around people that aren't trying to munch my face off." She patted the old guy fondly on the back and slid back down the ladder to see if she could help with anything.

Carol was cooking again, her husband made sure of that, breathing down her neck as she fried some fish up,he didn't want her getting rusty for when this whole thing was over and they were back home again. Alice shot him a dirty look and wondered why nobody did anything. "It's not our place to interfere." Lori whispered as she took a seat right by her reading her mind. "I guess, I just hate men like that, the world's still got plenty of them." Lori placed a comforting hand on her arm and said "I know it's not nice. Especially when we all live so close by but it's their life and we need to respect that." She finished speaking as Carl took his place by her, Jim, the little Mexican family (minus the father who was on the supply run) Amy,Carol, Sophia,ed and Shane shared breakfast together, all eager to finally chat with Alice now the dust had settled.

After the general chitter-chatter Carl shot the first direct question off first "So you've killed some of them walkers, Alice?" Everybody seemed to want to know the same question. All eyes on her, she decided to be honest if she had a chance to be a part of this family. "I've killed a few." The young boy bounded closer, his eyed wide with awe "How,you're just a girl?" He laughed cheekily. His mum scolded him "Women are just as strong as men." Alice lifted her top up, revealing her toned stomach and a very sharp hunting knife tucked into her skirt. She had picked it up off a dead guy months back, it cut through walker skulls like cheese. "I just stab 'em in the head" she gestured slicing her fish in half as fast as lightening and with little effort. Shane looked impressed, not just at her body but at how resourceful she was, since this thing started all women he came across needed defending ;finally a chick who can handle herself. The other women didn't seem so sure, none of them had killed a thing before, besides the odd bug which was usually in self defense. "Can you teach me how to?" Carl persisted. "Well I'm glad you found your way to us Alice. Sounds like you're gonna be a great asset." Shane pulled the boy into his grasp, effectively silencing anymore questions. Clearly he had established himself as the leader, when he spoke all eyes were on him. He seemed all right to Alice, someone who was respected and kept a level head always made a good chief.

As they finished up eating, the dirty dishes put in a pile ready for the women to wash down at the lake. Kind if sexist but who was she to argue with the way that they ran things? Balancing the tower in her arms she paused to cast another look over at Daryl's tent, he hadn't appeared for breakfast. Shane intercepted her gaze and came marching to her side, making sure he put her right about what she should be focusing on. "He's doing the only thing he's good at-hunting. Left hours ago, he stays for days at a time sometimes so don't expect him back any time soon." "Why? " she asked finding his tone offensive. "Because.." he placed his arm around her shoulders, leading her in the direction of the lake."Dixons are animals. Redneck animals. So just you focus on gettin' them plates nice and shiny." Shane's name just leapt to the top of her bad books. Against her better judgement, she did as she was told and crept down the dirt trail towards the clear blue lake where the other women were hard at work.

Alice huddled with Carol and Amy on the bank scrubbing away at the plates furiously with the old piece of clothing they were expected to use. Most of them came out clean enough, all three women were silently reminiscing about what life used to be like, how convenient everything had been. A dish washer would have come in really handy right about now, flick on a switch and relax with a coffee while it did all the hard work. Alice never would have guessed that she would be doing chores during the apocalypse, she kinda thought these people were crazy but on the other hand appreciated that they were trying to live a life as normal as possible. She sighed and looked around, after being constantly on the go for months sitting around was a tad dull.

Turning her attention to Carol beside her she spotted several bruises dotted around her pale body, some looked old, a couple seemed fresh. As always Ed was leering at her, he had driven the few feet down the hill from the camp just to keep his woman in check. "You ok, Carol?" Alice whispered. Carol flashed an unconvincing smile and nodded finishing her last plate and returning to her husband, eyes lowered to the ground like an obedient pet . "Dick head" Alice tutted. Amy couldn't help but laugh, "Speak your mind why don't you!" They laughed and joked until everything was done, sharing happy stories for a change as they climbed back up the hill to get started on other chores. "It's nice having you around, Alice. I feel like I've known you forever!" "It's nice to be-" Alice froze, she could hear a shrill ringing in the distance, so far off she could barely make it out but gradually it got louder and louder sounding more like a car alarm, loud noises always bred danger.

They rushed back into camp just in time to see Lori and Shane ducking out of the forest suspiciously, adjusting their unbuttoned clothing at the same time. Carol, who had been reading books with the kids, herded the children into the safety of the RV as a bright red sports car came into view. "It's not one of your group?" Alice shouted up to Dale who was on top of the RV with his binoculars over his eyes. Adjusting his binocular focus as the vehicle neared Dale breathed a pent up sigh of relief and mopped the nervous sweat from his brow. "It's Glenn!" he almost laughed, this old man had already seen more than enough trouble to last him another life time.

Alice craned her neck to get a good look at the driver as the car parked up on the edge of camp, alarm still blaring. Everybody was having to shout just to be heard over the noise but Alice was too far away to hear what they were saying as an Asian guy, about her age, wearing a cap and a huge grin leapt excitedly from the car. The men argued over how to stop the noise whilst Amy began to panic, with just Glenn returning that must mean the rest were dead, her sister... "There's a truck coming too." Alice alerted the rest as everything finally went quiet. Silence never sounded so good! In the big removal truck was the remaining survivors, all welcomed back in a blur of teary reunions. Alice was a tad uncomfortable, she didn't like so much emotion, she had used to cry about everything when she was younger but since the world had begun to change so did she. Besides its not like she had anyone left to welcome back, her loved ones were all dead. The last person from the truck she assumed was Merle but he certainly didn't live up to his bad ass reputation, he was clean shaven and smartly dressed as a cop.


	4. Chapter 4

The deer he'd been tracking all morning had led him in a fucking circle. Stupid thing had run halfway down the mountain and then strolled right back up again towards camp. Daryl hadn't found much else, just a couple of squirrels, this area was running dry already. He trudged through a deep pool of fallen leaves, they were damp from dew and had soaked both his boots and socks so that he squelched with each step. The whole point of getting up early was to find better game right? He thought glimpsing down at his pathetically small collection of squirrels. When he'd set out this morning it had been alot earlier than necessary, even his prey was still tucked up nice and cosy, "Who am I kidding?" His groan echoed aloud in the deserted woodland, the real reason was her. Alice. All women were annoying, she was no exception but something about her really got under his skin.

Alice pricked up her ears, she could hear Daryl's gruff voice, sure he was ranting but she was happy to hear he had returned. To experience someone coming back these days was a rare thing, especially when they went out alone. Just knowing he was alright was a relief but on the other hand she knew his world was about to come crashing down when the news about his brother was broken.  
Turns out the cop was Lori's husband, Carl's dad Rick. He introduced himself to everyone, for a man who had come back from death he was a real gentleman. After a few moments with his beloved family he took Shane aside to explain why they had left Merle handcuffed to a roof in the city. Alice thought it was harsh, even if he had been acting dangerously or putting others in danger, dooming him to a slow death with no dignity at all was unacceptable- nobody deserved that.

She headed over to where the men were gathered to see if she could be of some use, maybe flash a breast as the truth comes out. However this commotion was nothing to do with Merle, a walker had stolen Daryl's kill and the hunter was now booting the undead corpse like a football. The low growls of its decapitated walker head did nothing to calm his temper, it pissed him off that a group of men couldn't even take one of them out. "Wha's wrong with you people you gotta shoot 'em in the brain!" Daryl demanded the dumbfounded men putting a bolt through the walker head to demonstrate. Nobody replied, trying to find a gentle way to break such news which was impossible to do, Alice looked at Shane in a way that said 'why haven't you told him?' and he rolled his eyes in response knowing it was gunna kick off.

"Hey Daryl.." Shane was dreading this, he had spent his whole career dealing with dangerous men but this guy was on a whole different level. Daryl was marching off into camp already, wondering why he couldn't hear his brother making crude comments like he usually did. He gave Alice a meer glance as he passed her by catching pity in her eyes. She watched him disappear up the hill into camp calling his brother's name and knew that she couldn't just stand back and let this drag on. "He's not here." she jogged over to where he was beginning to skin squirrels with a bloodied knife. "He's got a knife in his hand!" Amy whispered a warning to her before moving back a safe distance. He didn't stop what he was doing or even look up at her but she knew he was listening. Rick stood by Alice as Shane approached the hunter as backup, "Look, man, he got out of hand so they had to leave him behind." Daryl froze, an aura of rage surrounding his broad shoulders. Alice looked around, all of the group was watching from afar, like waiting for a bomb to explode, Amy and Andrea waved her over. "Let them deal with this." Andrea, the older sister, suggested.

"We had no choice, he was dangerous so I handcuffed him to a metal pipe on the roof of a store but the door is locked." Rick admitted with his usually level head hanging in shame. "Let me process this. You left my brother on a rooftop to die?!" Daryl growled springing to his feet, the two former cops took defensive stances, ready to play at being a matador to this hot-head. Somehow they wrestled poor Daryl to the ground, something that neither could have achieved alone. After several minutes in a choker hold he was released with a promise to keep calm. It was becoming too painful to watch how visibly upset Daryl was without any way to comfort him. As the tension mounted Alice crept away down to the lake silently, she didn't want to see how this one turned out, it brought back painful memories of her own deceased brothers and she couldn't face those demons yet, it would destroy her.

Kicking off her shoes she stretched and purred like a cat into a comfortable position on the ground, a patch of grass acting as a pillow and lay back to drink up the clear blue sky and the first moment of relaxation in a long time. Watching the clouds was a lovely distraction to any niggling memories that were forcing her to remember killing her own family. Faint shouts echoed in the distance but she told herself unless a shot was fired not to interfere. Yes, clouds are lovely. Alice's eyes flickered briefly like a pair of butterfly wings before falling shut.

"Hey there you are!" Carl was leant over her face. She realized she must have dozed off, waking with a jump "Hey Carl, you ok?" She felt embarrassed as she brushed dirt out of her hair and dry drool from her cheek. The young boy had a mean frown on his face, "My dad is going back." he mumbled looking at the floor. Alice wasn't quite sure what he wanted from her, in this sort of situation she would probably just fob him off with some candy. Instead she lunged forward pulling him into a motherly hug, more of an attempt to shut him up if anything. Straight away he wrapped his little arms around her waist and cried into her chest. She wasn't sure if she had done the right thing as he continued to sob. "Going back where?" she asked trying to stop him crying in the nicest possible way. "To the city with Daryl, Glenn and T-dog to look for Merle. You're pretty tough right? Would you go with them and watch out for my Dad?" she could hardly say no a tearful kid and besides this would be a good way to earn her keep.


	5. Chapter 5

The men were loading up the removal truck with several guns and medical supplies, Daryl stomping around impatiently, wanting to get to his brother before something else did. "Room for one more?" Alice deliberately asked Rick instead of Daryl who was glaring in her direction. Rick paused before answering, maybe sizing her up, she didn't know. "Can you handle yourself, the city is pretty bad?" With a quick glance at a grinning Carl she smiled too "Damn right." The women of the camp were reluctant to let her leave, Alice had slotted into the group perfectly, her death would be devastating.

They set off in a hurry, Rick's driving left alot to be desired, at every turn and bump in the road Alice, Glenn and T-dog were getting thrown about in the back off the truck. "It's nice to meet you by the way!" Glenn smiled weekly, bumping into her side as they veered round another corner, trying his very best to ignore his travel sickness. "You too. Glenn, right?" She asked politely shaking his hand. "Yeah and you're Alice the girl who Daryl bagged?" He spoke a little more quietly knowing that Daryl might hear everything from the passenger seat. Provoking a pissed off Dixon was a bad idea.

Daryl's unblinking eyes were fixed on the road ahead, he was still steaming. Alright so Merle was a dick, that didn't give anyone the right to off him without a second thought. Slowly he rolled down the window, hoping that the breeze might cool him down a bit, ventilate some of his rage. 'The girl that Daryl bagged?' Daryl overheard the hushed words Glenn spoke, to his surprise, instead of taking offense he kind of liked the way that sounded. He had been surprised when she'd volunteered to come along, especially after vanishing earlier but why had she bothered? It wasn't her responsibility to rescue Merle, she definitely wasn't one of the shit heads that abandoned him. Daryl allowed himself to believe for only a split second that she would risk her life for his benefit. No, he wasn't worth it. Alice would disagree!

As they reached the outskirts of the city, the safest place to leave the truck and enter without drawing attention, everybody jumped out. T-dog had introduced himself back at camp and had been silent since then,apparently he had dropped the handcuff key down a drain but had padlocked the door to the roof so Merle wouldn't get chomped. Alice suspected he felt guilty or was just scared of Daryl. Glenn cut a hole in the chain link fence, the only thing between them and the walkers, so that they could squeeze in and out. No sign of any walkers yet luckily, Alice suspected that they were all gathered in the heart of the city, like they would have when they were alive. Rick drew her into a huddle to repeat the plan "Right, Alice just to bring you up to speed, we're going for Merle first and then hopefully findin' a big bag of guns i left behind. Sound good?" How could it not be fun? "Sounds great." she confirmed sarcastically.

As the group continued deeper into the city she was getting the niggling feeling that Daryl, who was right behind her covering the rear, was watching her. That suspicion alone made her more nervous than being in a city overrun with with dead but she didn't dare turn around to check in case it was all in her head.

The whole city looked like a ghost town, cars and houses abandoned, like the aftermath of a natural disaster, a lifeless eerie silence in the air instead of the buzz of daily life, it was creepy. Rick signaled them to stop so a lone walker could pass by without seeing them,they snuck by like soldiers and settled into crouching behind a burnt out car. Alice studied the men infront, Rick was dripping with sweat but had a glazed expression, Glenn and T had faces haunted by fear.

Daryl tapped her arm to get her attention before pulled her gently aside. " 'ere." he presented her with his only handgun, seeing a walker had reminded him of the present danger. She looked at it in shock for a moment, lost for words "Ya ain't got one right?" he added. "What about you?" she worried instantly. He noticed the concern in her voice and the fear appear in her eyes that hadn't been there before, he found it strange that his safety was her first thought. Why the hell was she bothered how he would defend himself he just gave her his gun for fuck sake! "Got ma crossbow." he shrugged and seemingly happy with his answer she took the gun, her soft hand brushing against his fingers, a jolt of electricity tingling his body to the core. "Thanks." she whispered her large green eyes gazing up at his lips where the possible hint of a smile lay. "Come on." Rick hissed and after taking a moment to collect herself she followed, they were on the move again.

The entrance to the store was completely exposed, the glass carelessly smashed from the doors allowed walkers to come and go as they pleased. The group followed an eager Daryl inside, staying close with guns readied. "Ugly skank." Daryl spat firing a bolt into a skimpy dressed female walker. Alice breathed a sigh of relief, she had thought he was talking to her for a split second. Catching sight of herself in a mirror as they crept along through the clothing section she barely recognized herself. Her skin used to be a pure pearl white but was now smudged with dirt, her tattered clothes were filthy and she desperately needed a haircut. The walker had looked better and she'd clearly been dead a while!

The group hurried up to the roof, the door was, like T-dog said, padlocked. Rick used the bolt cutters and Daryl flung the door wide open whilst Alice hung back to make sure nothing was following them upstairs. "Noo!" Daryl howled, his screams echoing through the halls. A feeling of pure terror drove Alice back up the stairs faster than she even knew she could move.


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl was crouched down on the ground by a huge dry blood stain, a hacksaw and his brother's decapitated hand. The men lowered their heads in unison, all feeling an overwhelming sense of guilt. Alice didn't pause, instead she focused on stalking the blood trail carefully towards another door at the opposite side of the roof, man was this guy tough, he'd sawed his own hand off and carried on going! Daryl watched her, he was impressed, he had been so distraught he had kinda fazed out into a blur of despair but she had carried on moving along his brothers tracks. She gave him hope. Thoughts of killing T-dog had been flashing through his mind, after all it was his fault, his fingers had been itching over his crossbow, Merle would have expected him to do it but Alice caught his eye, she had sympathy for him but was urging him to carry on going. Yanking his red bandana from his back pocket he carefully wrapped up the only piece of Merle he had left and stored it in poor Glenn's rucksack. "Come on."

Alice spotted two walkers laying on the ground, she withdrew her knife carefully and crept closer, Daryl literally right behind her, his warm breath tickling her cheek was giving her goosebumps. Before she could land the first blow Daryl signaled her to stop. Someone had beat them to it, their skulls had been shattered, faces completely pulverized into a hollowed out mess of mush. "Merle?" Alice asked Daryl in disbelief. He nodded to the bloodied spanner by the corpses and went on without her shouting Merle's name. "He's a tough bastard." T-dog patted her on the shoulder. "Daryl or Merle?" she laughed. "Both" Glenn, who was still cringing over the hand he was carrying, added reluctantly. Rick holstered his gun with a small grin "What have we gotten ourselves into with this group huh?"

Daryl came across a makeshift kitchen where his brother had gruesomely closed his own wound then exited through a small window back out onto the streets. Rick took Daryl aside and told him softly that they couldn't chase after his brother around the city. "Fuck you!" Daryl spat attempting to climb out of the window after the only family he had. "Look I know you're upset but he's gone, ok?!" Rick spoke to him like a proper cop, like he was sympathizing and negotiating at the same time. Daryl knew he was right, he knew Merle would be long gone by now, pissed off as anything. "Right now we need to find those guns and get back to camp. I need you to keep a clear head." With a manly growl Daryl Released his last bit of fury by punching a wall with all his might, which was coincidentally next to T-dog's face. That fiery temper certainly didn't put Alice off at all, it only made him more intriguing.

They split up into two groups, taking different sides of the road where the guns were lying. Glenn, Rick and T would be grabbing the weapons whilst Alice and Daryl covered them the best they could without drawing attention. There were 30 or so walkers dotted around, as long as they stayed like that it would be easy, if they spotted fresh meat and formed a herd it would be near impossible to complete the mission or even to survive.

Daryl didn't say a thing to her, she wanted to comfort him somehow but 'sorry about you're brother' sounded so tacky so she stuck to silence aswell. Making their way through winding alleyways they moved quickly and quietly. Daryl scouting a few steps ahead, Alice watching his back and shadowing his every move closely. So closely infact that when he ground to a halt she collided with him. "Sorr-" her attempt to apologize was silenced, Daryl's hand firmly covering her mouth. He slowly backed her up against the wall, so they were hidden by a dumpster. He could feel her heart thumping wildly against his chest, was she scared or something else? It was taking a while for the walkers Daryl had spotted to pass by, they kept pausing maybe picking up a living scent then hobbling on, ten or so. He was only too aware of the beautiful girl he was pushed up against, she was looking at him intently, beads of sweat started to form on his forehead as he struggled to focus on anything else.

One fat dead bitch stopped nearby her nostrils flared, ears pricked, Alice slowed her breathing and Daryl stepped further into her hoping not to get caught. Every inch of him was toned, his muscly arms enveloped her slender frame his legs held her in place securely one by her side the other nestled in between her legs. She swore into his hand, a complete accident that she couldn't have prevented now that he was turning her on. A dash of crimson fluttered over his cheeks briefly. She removed his hand from her mouth and held it as she relaxed her body into his, assuring him she wouldn't make another sound. Feeling every bit of her against every part of himself he finally allowed himself to look at her, knowing that once he did he might not be able to look away. Her plump rosy lips were were curved into a smile and her eyes seemed to hold an invitation. His fingers curled around her palm, clasping her hand in a bold move, his skin was rough, calloused but she didn't even flinch. God he wanted to kiss her. The fear of rejection was always there though,what if he was misreading her signs?

Dipping her head to his shoulder, she curled her spare arm around his neck to create a cuddle. After some hesitation he responded, touching her lower back to pull her deeper. Her warm breath tickled his neck, arousing him more,their chests ebbed in unison, breathing completely in sync as though their bodies were a perfect fit. This sudden closeness was so foreign but it felt so natural with her. The fat walker waddled away, the coast was clear. With no threat around there was no reason to be so near each other, the whole hug thing was only to hide better after all. "Phew that was a close one huh?" Alice giggled, flashing him a cheeky grin in hope that he might return it. Pulling himself away reminded him of when Merle used to super glue random crap to his hands so he'd have to fight to get it off. This was just as painful too. "You've got no idea" he mumbled taking the lead once again so that she couldn't spot something he hadn't wanted her to see. Alice followed once more still in a blissful state of shock.

The three guys were in position across the street and had been for a while, Daryl and Alice came into view eventually and with nods all round Glenn darted through the undead. Swiping the bag and Rick's Sheriff hat Glenn sped in a circle back the way he came. It was only as he sprinted back that the walkers took notice and started emerging from every abandoned vehicle, door way and alley like rats. "Go, go, go" Glenn screamed, running straight past his group like a cartoon character. The dead must have been especially hungry, this was the first time Alice had seen them move so quickly. After half a mile of constant chasing the walkers weren't letting up but the chain link fence they'd come through was in sight. Alice began lagging behind, her body was refusing to do as she wanted, aching and sluggish. She focused in front,watching Glenn scramble through the hole in the fence wondering if she could make it that far. The sound of decaying bones crunching and ghostly moans from the hoard of undead sent chills right through her body, as they never slowed their pursuit. "Come on, girl, shift ya ass!" She realized Daryl was shouting at her and offering his hand. She grabbed hold of him and before she knew it he was pushing her, a hand on each bum cheek, through the fence. It was only a matter of time before the ravenous walkers figured out how to do the same so they kept moving without looking back.

"Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for your hat." Glenn teased the Sheriff. Well clear of the city they slowed down to a stroll back to the truck. "Alright but don't tell anyone." Rick chuckled. "You were awesome Glenn, never seen someone move that fast!" Alice praised. "That's my specialty!" he boasted with a huge grin, feeling very appreciated for once. Daryl scoffed "Running away?" Glenn blushed in return, T-dog laughed and then with a serious tone turned to Daryl prepared to face his fury "Look man.." "Don't." Daryl sighed with a glimpse over at Alice who, to his surprise was watching him closely already. "We all did good but I have to admit that you surprised me!" Rick spoke directly to Alice. "Why?" she laughed. "'Cos you didn't shit your pants like other women would've!" T interjected with a sexist remark. "I wouldn't put I wouldn't put it like that...nothing seemed to faze you!" "Yeah,weren't you scared?" Glenn chipped in. "Are you kidding me? I was terrified!" she admitted with a smile. She always did that, her smile was her mask, it always fooled everyone and had never broken. "What ya gotta be scared of wi' me watchin' your ass?" After a long pause Daryl grumbled aloud. He hadn't meant to say it, just think it but the words just slipped out, now the other guys had dirty looks on their faces.

The joking around ended as soon as it began when they realized their truck was gone.  
"What the..." T began voicing the group's thoughts. "Merle!" Rick growled. "He'll be takin' his vengeance back to camp." Daryl added.  
More running. Ugh. Alice ran alongside the others on the five mile stretch back to the quarry. She knew she would be in agony tomorrow but had no choice, nobody looked in the mood to be offering a piggyback. She knew that what was going on right now was serious but she couldn't help reliving that moment with Daryl back in the city. She'd had a few 'encounters' before but even in the normal world, how things were she'd never felt such a connection, even after years of knowing somebody or a drunken flirt. Was it totally crazy?

Blood curdling screams pierced the air followed by the screech of gunfire. Glenn was first up the mountain but he seemed glued to the spot like a rabbit in headlights, agape at the carnage unfolding. Walkers had snuck into the camp, the survivors were fighting back with what little gun power and people able to fire available but they were being overrun. Alice blew a hole in the head of the first walker she saw, Daryl's handgun had come in handy after all. She continued pushing forward, three more dropping at her feet. The kids were screeching from inside the RV and Shane was defending Rick's family. Alice dashed in to help, emptying the handgun of it's ammo in seconds before switching to her trusty blade. The noise was deafening, the screams and roar of guns engulfed the camp like a storm breeding chaos. Glenn's car alarm would have been a godsend compared to this.

For every walker she took out another dropped close by, Daryl's crossbow had her back. Rick and T brought the battle to an end with heavy fire but the screams didn't stop. There were alot of casualties, Amy was one of them, Andrea was cradling her dead body, Alice could only look on sadly unable to offer any comfort. A hand fell on her shoulder but she didn't register it for a while, her eyes casting over the bloodbath spread around her feet "Poor girl" she spoke at last, her voice little more than a whisper. Daryl didn't remove his hand, he didn't want to until he received some recognition of his gesture. "Merle's not here." she finally said softly, like she was breaking bad news. "Come on, le's finish up." She copied what he did, sticking a blade into every head that was or could become a walker. It had to be done like taking out the trash or ironing. They finished the dirty work whilst the rest of the group comforted each other, struggling to come to terms with such a huge loss so suddenly. Being alone with Daryl was comfort enough for her and it seemed like it was the same for him since he made no attempt to leave her side.


	7. Chapter 7

Shane and Rick took charge of things soon after, making sure there was a fire set up far away from the pile of dead so they could all sit, eat and discuss their plans. They had to leave, this place wasn't safe anymore. Shane nodded at Alice and the rest greeted her with hugs almost surprised she had returned. Carl clung to her like a bear cub and cried thankyous into her chest, she stroked his mousy brown hair awkwardly "It's alright, although I think your dad could use a cuddle." Rick smiled at her as she spoke, he was glad his son had someone he could open up to. Something had shifted in Lori and Carl's relationship, Rick knew that much at least, now he just had to find out why.

With everyone gathered Alice quickly took a seat next to Daryl who had saved the last space right by him, a tad suspicious but very welcome. He didn't pay attention to her but slouched as soon as she was by his side, relaxing. "I propose we head to the CDC." Rick announced. Shane rolled his eyes quite obviously objecting to this plan, "Rick come on, Fort Benning is a better idea." Shane figured that there was more chance that it was still standing; hopefully a safe haven military strong hold. Rick argued the point that the military had been one of the first to fall and the CDC might be still going, might even have a cure.

Alice tried to pay attention but something was bugging her, she peered down at her hands, only now realizing that they were still completely covered in blood. This is what the world had come to, she was drenched in blood that she had no idea who it belonged to. Looking over to the mound of corpses on the other side of camp slowly rotting away, bodily fluids forming a thick gooey pool underneath she felt sick. "Excuse me." she mumbled running toward the creek.

The thought of somebody's blood and brains splattered up her body was sickening. Diving into a nearby bush she vomited violently, she hadn't been sick in years, even after killing people she knew she hadn't reacted like this. Maybe tonight's slaughter had brought everything back?  
She was starting to care about people again something she swore she would never do. Her throat felt so sore and her eyes were heavy and throbbing with exhaustion like crazy but she couldn't stay so filthy.

Leaving her clothes on the floor in a sticky red ball she stepped into the lake. It was freezing cold making her shudder and she was totally exposed to anything but she felt good. The water around her dirtied for several seconds before returning to a clear blue, the filth and trauma she kept bottled up washing away. She swam further out, gazing up at the full moon above, 'Come on. Pull yourself together' she urged to herself silently. Just feeling clean gave her a massive boost, she felt more like herself again.  
It was relaxing to idly float there for a while, let everything sink in, the wind blew ripples around her naked body and rustled the trees so hard that the leaves came to float alongside her like little canoes. She knew she had to go back up to camp and deal with things, try to handle the hell on earth this world had become but part of her wanted to drift all night aimlessly. Plus she didn't want to put the same clothes back on again.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Daryl slowly making his way down the hill towards her backwards. It took a while for her to figure out what on earth he was doing but once she did her smile wouldn't fade. He knew she was naked and was making a point not to look. "Brought ya a towel an' some clothes." he stood on the bank still facing the opposite direction lowering the things onto the floor. Alice trotted out and pulled the towel around herself shivering, she wondered why he was still standing there. "Feel better?" He asked after a very awkward silence "Much better, thankyou...just freezing is all." Almost instantly he through his leather jacket around her shoulders and without another word strode back up the hill. Watching him walk away felt painful, "Daryl!" She called, chasing half naked after him. He spun round, forgetting she wasn't dressed and his mouth fell open. Nothing surprised Daryl Dixon, he could control himself and his emotions very well...until he met Alice anyway. No amount of self persuasion could keep his eyes from exploring her body, she had looked good before but now, damn, thank God it was a thin towel! "Oh sorry!" she apologized mistaking his shocked expression for what it was. She pulled the baggy brown jumper over her head and turned her back to Daryl while she slipped on the worn pair of jeans.

Slipping her trusty knife back into position she reluctantly handed him his jacket back. "How 'bout you? How are you doing?" She smiled warmly at him even though her lips were blue from the cold. He scanned her face for sarcasm but found only genuine concern. "Fine." he grunted trying to avoid staring at her erect nipples that were popping through the jumper. "What about your brother?" she quizzed cautiously, knowing that it was a sensitive issue. "I'm not worried about him. Nobody can kill Merle 'cept merle. Come on, they saved ya food." Alice didn't want to face anyone else tonight so was more than relieved when Daryl informed her that, apart from T-dog who was on watch ontop of the RV, everyone had gone to try and get some sleep.

While she ate he fiddled with his crossbow, discretely keeping an eye on her over the dying embers of the fire. It was still warm by the little flames and with food in her belly things were looking up. It was far too late into the night to start pushing any kind of communication so she was more than surprised when Daryl struck up a conversation with no persuasion at all "We're headed for the CDC tomorrow." She nodded shoving the last piece of crispy grilled fish into her mouth. She had tried to eat slowly so that the meal would last longer but it didn't work, she was so famished that she had practically inhaled it. "Shane weren't crazy about It." he added, moving onto cleaning his arrows, his eyes never leaving her once. When Alice had taken off earlier he had been concerned, Lori had been the one eager to check on her but Rick had suggested Daryl instead. Had it been anyone else in distress he wouldn't have bothered but sitting across from her now, just the two of them, he was very pleased that he had. "Not surprised." she interrupted his thoughts. "Why?" He was curious to know if she disliked Shane aswell. "'Cos it was Rick that suggested it." After shooting her a look that said 'Oh really?' she continued, "He's not happy that he's alive after screwing his wife." Daryl smiled, she'd said what everyone had thought but not dared to say.

"Who's clothes are these. By the way?" Alice pulled at the hideous stretchy brown top, "Carol's. Sorry she didn't have somthin' more yer style. Ya not goin' sleep?" Alice was looking really drowsy but made no attempt to leave where they were sitting, not that he minded. "I'm wide awake." she lied, trying to hide a huge yawn. The thought of spending another night alone, afraid of her own shadow certainly wasn't appealing. "Want me to leave you alone?" It had occurred to her that maybe he was hinting nicely that she should go away. He didn't, not one part of him wanted her to go, if anything he would prefer her a hell of a lot closer. Narrowing his sight at her curious expression he ignored her question with one of his own "You ever fired a crossbow before?" He had a cheeky look on his face, a naught glint in his eye, Alice thought trying to figure out what he had planned for her. "Of course not!" she laughed at the silly question. Just the way he was looking at her was driving her crazy, holding her gaze intently with his eyes piercing right through her, as though nothing else mattered but what was happening between them now. He stood up and beckoned her to follow, she didn't even consider not following him to the edge of the gloomy forest.

"Ya hold it kinda like a rifle." he demonstrated first before placing it in her arms gently. It was heavier than it looked but she was careful not to show her surprise, concentrating instead on his directions. Taking aim, she bit her lip and fired, the force of the bolt's release knocking her slightly backward. Daryl steadied her with his strong grasp, a mocking grin spread across his face "That was shit." The target had been a tree, which she'd missed, not only that she had missed any other trees and there was alot to choose from. She retrieved the arrow and attempted to reload it herself. It was certainly a man's weapon, after several embarrassing attempts she had no choice but to give up- it was too tough. Daryl did it with little effort and a bragging expression on his handsome face, loving the opportunity to impress. "Alright Dixon show me how." This time he stood behind her, so he could guide her movements into a perfect shot. His hands manipulated hers, his body guiding her into the right stance, chin hovering just above her shoulder to monitor the sight. Being so close again brought the same rush of emotion from Atlanta, an unbearable aching urge. He squeezed her finger into the trigger and they both watched as the arrow soared straight into the target. "Booya!" she cheered, proudly smiling at her amazing teacher. Another survival skill added to her end of the world resumè, alright so it wouldn't end up getting her an overpaid job but living longer was just as good. "Beautiful." Daryl's barely audible admission fluttered into the breeze, his strong and capable hand accidentally stroking her arm as the cool wind covered her in goosebumps. "My aim?" she turned to him inquisitively cocking her head. "Nah." he swiftly collected his arrow and headed back to camp almost desperate to get away before saying something stupid.


	8. Chapter 8

It was clear that Daryl wasn't the kind of guy you could or should push. Alice knew enough about him already to leave things alone even though she was dying to hear from his lips that he really had meant to call her beautiful. A couple of hours sleep would be much more beneficial than a confidence boost anyway. With her head held high she strolled through camp, walking straight past a bewildered Daryl, she was already aware of exactly what she wanted to say and how to say it in a way that gave her the upper hand. "Thanks for watching my ass today." she brushed her hand seductively across his shoulders as she continued to her tent, feeling his longing gaze on her back but missing his smile.

It took alot not to follow her, seriously. Several times he'd made it over to her tent, knowing she was lying alone inside, and forced himself not to go in, trudging back to their previous spot in a sulk. For some reason he had respect for the girl and if he was completely honest he was starting to actually care about her. There was something different about her, compelling, she was completely different to any woman he had been involved with before. Having her close stirred up something that he didn't recognize, a flicker of an emotion that had been lying dormant for a long time. Not that he hadn't pictured doing some pretty sordid things with her. Allowing himself to think like that was dangerous, it was like playing with fire.

Just knowing that Daryl was only a few feet away was both comforting and unnerving. He made her feel safe but at the same time put her on edge. There was no denying that he was handsome, even under layers of grime, his dreamy blue eyes, scruffy hair and gorgeously buff body. She craved to have him against her again more than anything.

After actually sleeping until morning, which was odd, Alice rose with the rest of the camp. Andrea had stayed by her sister all night, cherishing the last moments before the inevitable change. Carol and Sophia were puffy eyed as they appeared too. "Ed passed on." Dale informed her, removing his hat for a moment in a form of respect. Alice reluctantly swallowed the words 'had it coming' and expressed sympathy instead. "At least we have you back safe and sound!" He hugged her tightly. "Good to see you too." She smiled politely to the over friendly old man. She could see a question forming on his dry lips and listened in dread as it formed "How are you doing?" curiosity about last night's behavior hung in the air and Dale wasn't one to respect privacy so easily. "I'm fine. Just had to wash...the blood off." she shrugged him off best she could, hoping he would just drop it. "Ok. We all appreciate how you and Daryl took care of everything last night. I know it's tough.." Yes it was tough, finishing off fellow humans who were already dead, killing in succession people who had once smiled and laughed and loved like injured animals in a heartless slaughter. The old man watched her turn ghostly pale, sorrow etching her face and deeply regretted bringing it up.

The mood in camp was sombre to say the least. From afar they must have resembled walkers, wandering aimlessly around occasionally bumping into each other in a mindless daze. Alice made a point of searching out one particular member who her heart went out to. "Carol, I'm so sorry to hear about your husband." Alice attempted to offer her condolences, the words fell into place but held no emotion behind them as though she was acting. It was difficult to offer support to others, even when she really wanted to. When things had gone bad Alice had to deal with it alone, she didn't know any other way but knowing how badly life had already treated Carol she had needed to try. The grey haired lady pulled Alice into a motherly hug "Thank God you came back when you did. My girl is still here, she keeps me strong." Little Sophia stood meekly by her mother's side saying nothing, looking nowhere, clearly traumatized from losing her father in such a way. Alice felt pity for them both, for everyone who lost someone, not just last night but since this hell began.

"Alice! Wait up!" Rick called after as she made her way towards where the others were eating breakfast. He looked worn down and unsurprisingly stressed so she made an extra effort to smile nicely. "You alright?" Everybody had been asking her the same thing all morning, it was getting to be a tad annoying but it was really nice that they even cared. "I'm fine." He took it upon himself to push the matter considering nobody else had much luck either "Look if you need to talk or-" "Rick honestly, I'm fine" Her forced smile was making her cheeks ache. "Alright,I'll take your word for it. By the way Carl was telling me about the little favor he asked you to do." He wasn't having a go at her, if anything he looked happy about it. "Wasn't what I would call little." she giggled, spotting Daryl sitting to join the survivors for breakfast, he never did that. Shane was calling them over, eager to assert his dominance, barking orders around. They headed over slowly still chatting "Well I appreciate it, you put his mind at rest." Alice pulled her eyes away from the sexy Dixon just about long enough to reply "You're a hard man to keep an eye on!" she sighed, wondering how he had survived so far since he seemed to like putting himself in stupid situations. "My apologies." He stifled a laugh, taking his place by his wife and son.

Daryl's rabbit was feeding them this morning. It didn't taste good, the looks on everybody's face portraying the same expression as Shane went over the plan again. Basically a day driving to the CDC packed into the vehicles like sardines and of course hope for the best. Daryl was pissed that Alice had stood away from him throughout the whole meeting, damn sure she was doing it to annoy him. As if reading his mind she flashed a cute little smile at him and nodded in response, acknowledging her in the most macho way possible. Shane finished off by assigning each person to a vehicle, at this point Alice had to pay attention. "And you can ride with me if you'd like." Yup, he was definitely addressing this to her and with that look of his that creeped her out. "Right, thanks." she agreed rather unconvincingly.

With just a tent to pack up Alice was finished long before everyone else. She could've offered to help someone else but felt her time would be better spent returning Daryl's gun, a sneaky chance to spend time together. He was packed up and ready to go, putting the finishing touches to cleaning his brother's motorbike. It was Merle's pride and joy, keeping it in pristine condition was the least he could do. He was going to load it into the back of his truck, it would be stupid to ride it when they had no idea how overrun the CDC might be. "Here's your gun...umm kind of no ammo left." Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts, he came hurtling back to reality with a thud, the thoughts of his big brother vanishing. "Great." He mumbled sarcastically,working away with thick black motor oil staining his skin. "Well if it was still fully loaded it would have been pointless me having it, right?" Having a conversation with his back wasn't the best thing in the world put she persisted anyway.  
Daryl liked to see how far he could push her. All this time he told himself that he was better off alone, other people were just trouble, but even he didn't believe it, by pushing her away he was testing her to see if she would stick around no matter what. Little did he know, she was just about to do a bit of testing herself. "It's nice of Shane to offer me to ride with him." Was she serious? Daryl didn't think she was that stupid. When he didn't reply she teased a bit further "He is so sweet. I wonder if there's something more to his offer..." "Obviously!" Daryl snapped, springing to his feet he spun to face her ready for a full blown row but her grin through him off completely. Two can play at that game! He strode so quickly toward her that she thought he was going right past in a strop but he paused, considering stripping her and releasing his frustration in the most effective and pleasurable way. "What?" She asked softly, making him realize he was staring, caught up in his thoughts of her, of them together. "Just tell him ya ridin' with me." with that command he stomped away, keeping his urges at bay, just. Problem solved, Alice smiled to herself.

"Hey, Alice you should ride with us." Carl screeched making her jump like a skittish cat. She had been having a moment to herself...maybe spying on Daryl at the same time after witnessing Andrea finally put her sister out of misery. Good job the kid hadn't been a walker, she was so spaced out to even notice. It had been a rough few days to say the least. "Jesus! Don't creep up on me!" He exploded in a fit of giggles, her face had been a picture of terror. Alice looked around for his parents who were paying their respects to the dead with the rest of the group, they must not have wanted him to see a burial. "See now why would i want to be stuck in a car for hours with such a little monster?" she teased ruffling his hair.  
Alice had helped to dig the graves but wanted no part in any thing else. No point getting all upset over strangers dying, she told herself but honestly she didn't want to lose it, she needed to be strong right now. No more grief, at least for a while.  
It seemed like Daryl had the same idea, he was wandering through camp, close enough to Alice and Carl to hear his name mentioned by the boy. "Hey do you like Daryl?" Such a random question completely caught her off guard. "Sure." she agreed absently, trying to brush it off, a warm blush burning her cheeks. The barren dirt floor crunched under Daryl's biker boots, his purposely heavy footsteps kicking up a wave of dust to announce his presence. "Hey Daryl." Carl piped up as he joined them, standing directly behind Alice. The masculine aura he emitted was enough of a giveaway to how close he was but Alice didn't dare turn around incase her face was bright red, she was desperate not to give any indication how she felt. "My mom says you do." Regardless of the evil looks Alice was shooting him, Carl had continued eagerly, the undivided attention of the two coolest people in the group was great.


	9. Chapter 9

The child was looking happily from one adult to the other waiting for some kind of response whilst shielding his eyes from the bright sun. Alice was sweltering, not to mention the thick jumper she had on, the tension was bringing on a heavy session at the gym sweat. "Did she?" Alice feigned politeness through gritted teeth, Daryl's stare bearing into her back "That's quite interesting actually, kid." Daryl finally spoke up, hands on his hips he enjoyed watching Alice slowly peel the jumper over her head, leaving her in a skimpy grey vest top and a ass-hugging pair of jeans. Alice was deliberately avoiding eye contact with him so was blissfully unaware that Daryl's hungry eyes were roaming all over her body. "No it's not interesting...why don't you run along Carl." she coughed awkwardly staring at her shoes in a vague attempt to avoid admitting to herself how she felt. "Ya mom say much else?" Daryl pushed on, taking great pleasure in seeing her squirm, those actions alone revealing more honesty than words could.

She pulled a band from her pocket and tied her long hair into a messy bun in an attempt to cool down and appear more assertive. Nervously she looked up at Daryl, his bulging biceps where glistening with sweat, his sleeveless green vest doing nothing to contain them;his pants seemed to be creased in all the right places, drawing her eye line to the one place she was trying to avoid looking at. His eyes were burning with lust, her exposed neck arousing him more than it should have, he was already picturing where abouts he would bite her- hard, sure to leave a mark of his handiwork. How would she react to his tongue working its way- "She said something about sexual tension." Carl had no idea what the words meant or the trouble they could cause. "Oh and being perfect for each other. Shoot we're setting off, see ya in a bit." Lori beckoned her son over to the car, last minute prep was underway. Daryl was grinning, actually grinning, a heart melting toothy smile. Alice couldn't believe how different he looked when he smiled, unbelievably gorgeous. "What? He's just kidding!" She laughed, accidentally stroking his arm in a playful way. It was hard to imagine how quickly they had bonded, what were the odds of finding someone to have such a connection to when everyday life and death are uncertain. When fate has decided two people are meant to be together not even the possible extinction of mankind could keep them apart. "You think?" He looked around to check no one was watching, was he bold enough to do the one thing that he'd thought about constantly day and night since they met? Those words spoken in his sexy southern accent gave away a hidden meaning, so did the lustful look glinting in his blue eyes. "What do you think?" she really needed him to admit to something, no way would she make the first move and risk looking like an idiot.

Unconsciously she had been gravitating to him, close enough now to smell musty old cigarette smoke with a hint of whisky, feel the heat from his body, appreciate how his toned muscles rippled. Just like the last time they had been so close, Alice could feel her mixed emotions, especially the unquenchable craving for him bubbling to the surface. The closer she got to him the harder it was to pull apart. Daryl gazed into Alice's sparkling emerald eyes they mirrored his hidden feelings, he loved how she looked at him, doe-eyed, vulnerable, she placed her trust in him, she needed him in every possible way and he wanted to fulfill those needs, give her safety...and pleasure. "I think the sheriff's wife's got a point." With that sly admission he held her chin between his thumb and forefinger and dipped his head toward her parted lips in what felt like unbearably slow motion. "Oh my!" Carol gasped, spotting them by accident as she'd innocently gone to find Alice. Daryl swore under his breath stomping off to isolate himself in his truck, slamming the door with such force it was a miracle the window didn't shatter. Alice was flushed, slightly embarrassed but was buzzing, her legs had gone wobbly for fuck sake. "How are you and Sophia doing, Carol?" Alice asked as calmly as possible, hoping she had gotten rid of her childish smile. "We're doing alright. Thankyou for helping dig Ed's grave, you didn't have to." Carol looked like a broken woman right now but Alice had no doubt that she would come back from this stronger. "Don't be silly. It's the least I could do." Knowing she was going to cry again, Carol parted with a swift hug, joining Sophia in the Grimes family car.

Shane Walsh was not a happy man; watching Alice heading to Daryl's truck instead really riled him up. "Changed your mind...prefer something a little more rural?" Before Alice could utter a word in reply to Shane's shouts he was looming menacingly above her. He'd never been good with rejection, Lori didn't want him anymore but maybe Alice had a chance of salvation- he would have to make her see that lowlife redneck for what he was.. "I reckon me an' you will get on real good. We're the same kinda people." Alice held his icy gaze, making it clear she could hold her own against his intimidation. "In what way?" He leaned in closer, his cap almost poking her eye. "We have what it takes to get through this." She didn't doubt it but then again she knew others in the camp were just as tough, like Daryl. "Most of us do." Daryl glared in his rear view mirror, closely watching that cop getting so close to Alice was making his blood boil. Shane grinned,"Right, we'll see..." Even though he spoke through a smile his words were like a cruel challenge, in her eyes he was the type of man who would bet on death over survival "Come on, get in tha' fucking truck!" Daryl shouted impatiently, slamming on the horn.

Daryl strummed his fingers on the steering wheel impatiently waiting for Dale to shift his RV. Steam was puffing out from under the hood, clearly this could take a while. That old thing held sentimental value for Dale, he and his wife had traveled the country in it before she passed on. It was common knowledge which is why nobody ever suggested he leave it behind. "Them Mexicans are gone." Daryl mumbled absent mindedly, sounding more like he was talking to himself. Alice was playing with a loose strand of hair, curling it around her finger to pass the time, especially since Daryl wasn't usually the chattiest person left on earth. "Why?" She yawned, this delay was dull and this was the first thing Daryl had said in 20 awkward minutes. "Reckon their chances are better on tha' road." Alice wondered if they were right, furrowing her brow, if Rick was wrong this journey could be suicide but she didn't exactly have any suggestions of her own. There wasn't many other options anymore, there seemed to be only a handful of people left alive. Shifting the depressing thoughts aside, her mind then turned to more obvious matters like Daryl and the kiss they had almost shared. There was clearly an opportunity to mention it now but Daryl had chosen not to. She knew that she wanted to be closer to him but had no way of telling if, to him, she was just something to pass the time. He was chewing on his thumbnail, pausing every now and then to swear out of the window, completely oblivious of her attention. What thoughts, if any did he have in that head? She sighed dreamily.

Dale and Jim were faffing around in the engine of the RV, their mechanical talk sounding like a foreign language, it was stuffy in Daryl's truck even though his window was wide open, Alice's rested her head on her cool glass pane, observing the man sitting opposite. Even as the circus of cars trailed down the mountain, she hadn't finished analyzing him. He was a mystery.

Hitting the open road was liberating, with miles of clear road ahead it was easy to ignore the odd walker and just pretend things were back how they should be. Daryl kept his eyes on the road, slouched in his seat, one hand barely holding the steering wheel like he was cruising without a care in the world. Even though he was still pissed about Shane, Alice had no idea, he didn't act any differently. He was always quiet and liked to scowl, so how was she to know? From the Grimes car was in front, Carl and Sophia waved back to them excitedly, this was like a road trip for them, still too young to fully understand that nothing was the same anymore. Was there going to be anything left at the end of all this? Alice had seen it all, the dead feasting on flesh, live people killing each other over nothing, innocent people starving to death. Children wouldn't find it easy to survive in such a dog-eat-dog world. For Daryl not much had changed, apart from the dead rising of course. Growing up he mixed with the worst kinds people, this world hadn't changed anyone it just bought out who they really are. The plan had always been trust no one and he hadn't so far except for Merle but this girl was breaking through the wall he had put up around his heart when he was just a kid. There was hope after all.

After four straight hours of driving, Rick signaled to pull over at the first gas station they found. The windows were boarded up but that never guaranteed there was nobody inside. Rick decided that he, Shane, Daryl and Alice would do a sweep of the place while the remaining four men checked the pumps outside for gas, the rest keeping watch. Andrea wasn't included in any plan, she hadn't moved from the RV,drowning in an ocean of grief.


	10. Chapter 10

There was little more than half a tank of gas in all four pumps outside, Dale made the decision to store it as spare, there was no guessing which vehicle would die out first. The group had spread out, stretching their legs close by the cars and were discussing anything but where they were headed. Jaqui had been the first to notice the sweat dripping from Jim's face but as his shirt dampened and his face became redder the others were becoming concerned aswell.

It was pitch black inside. Hardly surprising, electricity was a rare thing nowadays, luckily all four scouts were armed with torches. Daryl had picked the lock to the back door with little effort, Alice had been very impressed, it was a good skill to have and he had done it in seconds. There had once been shelves neatly stacked with food, drink and magazines, they were now disappointingly empty, littering the floor in a mess of useless leftovers. People had fled in a hurry grabbing what they could, at least they'd had the decency lock the door behind them so that nothing could just walk in...or out. With the main lobby all clear they approached the staff room. Rick grasped the door knob, bracing himself for anything that might leap out. Shane nodded at him and aimed his gun into the emerging darkness as Rick pushed the creaking door ajar. Alice had a bad feeling about this plan, not because it was infested with walkers but the fact that the two cops automatically drew guns made her uneasy. After surviving alone for a while she picked up pretty quickly that a gun should be a last resort unless you were announcing a party for anything dead.

The little torch light emitted like a tiny spotlight, scanning the hopefully empty room until it stopped upon two hunched figures in the corner. "Don't shoot." Alice shuffled over to Rick's ear so she could whisper a warning. It was obvious they were faced with walkers, the stench of rotting flesh gave that one away. The Sheriff backed up, he respected her enough to listen without a word. She crept in, Daryl right behind her, his warm breath tickling the back of her neck. "Hey!" Alice called the undead couple, as they rose wobbly to their feet what they had been doing in the corner became visible. Blood stained the walls where a mutilated body lay, organs spilled onto the floor and the face unrecognizable. Daryl fired into the first walker, his bolt piercing the man through the eye and stood back in awe to watch Alice easily kicking the remaining woman to the floor, driving her knife directly into the brain. "All clear." Daryl called out. Rick and Shane searched the room, coming across two vending machines and a couple of first aid kits.

Alice took a closer look at all three dead, the man and woman wore matching wedding rings and the partly eaten corpse was only distinguishable as a women from the long matted red hair hanging off a shredded scalp. It was sad but nothing new, this is how everyone ended up in the end, Alice thought glumly. "Ya'll right?" Daryl asked her softly, her back was facing him and she had been quiet for a while, he dreaded to think she was crying, he had no idea how to shut up a tearful woman. "Yup." she flashed him a grin, leaving the room to escape the smell before she puked.

Back in the store she rummaged through the rubbish that was left as the men finished up in the other room. The only useful things she came across was a packet of cigarettes and some condoms. As she held the box of rubber protection in her hand she couldn't help but laugh, she'd used to make sure she always had these on supply-just in case. The stupid things she used to worry about seemed ridiculous now, getting pregnant, paying bills, finding love. "What you got there?" Daryl put on a serious expression even though he had been watching her for a while and knew exactly what she'd found. "Not much." she squeaked, going bright red and dropping it as discretely as possible, Daryl plus condoms gave her some bloody good ideas though. He wondered if her thoughts had turned as filthy as his had,judging by the look on her face they had. The problem was trying to figure out how to her closer to her again, as a Dixon it wouldn't be easy. "Here." She spluttered nervously throwing the cigarettes at him and dashing outside.

She had barely stepped foot outside the door when Jaqui started screaming. Daryl pocketed the cigarettes and the condoms to hopefully enjoy both later before chasing Alice towards the commotion. "He's been bit!" Jaqui was pointing accusingly at jim who was shifting from side to side struggling to keep balanced. "Quit yer screamin', ya gunna bring a whole herd over!" Daryl hushed the hysterical woman. She backed off with the others a safe distance from Jim, tears rolling down her face. It had happened during the attack last night, he'd kept it well hidden from everyone until now. Rick and Shane attempted to calm the situation down and discuss things rationally but the fact was he was going to change no matter what.

Jim lifted his top as requested by Rick, exposing the red wound surrounded by teeth marks. They all knew what had to be done but no one could bring themselves to say it. Daryl's hand twitched over his blade, he wasn't a pussy, he could end him without a second thought. "Daryl." whispered Alice,"Don't do it, just let rick handle this one." Even though she was right, he couldn't just do what she told him. Merle would go crazy if he knew a Dixon was taking orders from a broad, no matter how hot she was. "Tha' kinda thinkin' gits us killed!" Jim was in pieces, he knew what was coming and he knew it wasn't far off considering how bad his fever was.

Rick made a compassionate decision, "We can stay here for the night-" "Bullshit! Ya want ta keep 'im around see if he gits better?" Daryl jumped in, "We don't kill the living. When it happens..we deal with it." Rick's calm words and stern expression did little to convince Daryl who immediately aimed his crossbow at the dying man slumped on one of the gas pumps. Jim was barely conscious, tormented by hallucinations, intolerable pain, even if he knew what was about to happen he wouldn't be able to move. Rick hesitantly pulled his gun on Daryl, the crowd of survivors shouting pleads. None of them caught Daryl's attention, not even the threat of a bullet, he began to squeeze down on the trigger until he felt Alice's hand on his arm. The touch was so soft yet insistent, from how how her fingers stroked him soothingly he knew who it was. He felt his resolve weaken, his anger disappearing, Rick's gun lowered in front of his eyes and then he realized he had lowered his crossbow aswell. "Ya'll do wha' ya want!" Slinging his weapon over his shoulder, he briefly met Alice's eyes with a steamy glare, pissed at the control she possessed over his body.


	11. Chapter 11

Jim would be locked in the staff room that they had cleared out earlier, ok it wasn't the most pleasant place but at least he got a few more hours alive. One person was to stand watch at the door and another outside.  
As the darkness drew in the group tried to find comfortable places to sleep inside, huddling in corners for the most warmth. Tonight at least they would all be making do with stale chips and chocolate with warm bottles of water to wash it down all of which had come from the vending machines. Daryl showed no signs of coming inside, Alice stayed by the open gas station door waiting for him. It was getting colder by the minute and Alice knew for a fact that they had all of the blankets inside."Thankyou for earlier." Rick's steady hand fell on her shoulder, Shane's eyes secretly fitting from Lori to Alice. "He was right." Admitting that was hard, she supported Daryl's decision but when you're part of a group you have to consider others, she had accepted that, Daryl hadn't. Nobody wanted to watch Jim murdered, especially the kids and Andrea had just been through it with her sister. "Maybe but I...haven't reached the point where I can let living people die even if they're infected." Taking on the role of leader was hard, Alice knew that but if they were going to survive this Rick needed to step up. "You'll have to eventually. To keep the people you care about most safe."

They turned to watch the rest of the group trying to make the best of things. Dale was comforting Andrea, who seemed to be a bit perkier, Lori and Carol were reading to their children. Even T-dog and Shane were enjoying a game of cards whilst keeping an eye on Jim and Jaqui who was trying to cool him down with a damp cloth. Glenn nodded down to them from his position on the RV and resumed his watch. "I know you're right. I need to clear the air with Daryl." Alice looked across to the blue truck, noticing the fog of cigarette smoke seeping out from a small gap in the driver window. "You should spend some time with your family, sort things out tomorrow when he's calmed down." Alice suggested, stepping out into the open warily. "Ok,don't be too long, alright?" There was no need to ask where she was going, he already knew.

It was almost foggy from the smoke inside the truck, she could barely see Daryl at all, just his fuzzy outline. With no clouds in the sky, hundreds of twinkling stars and a bright full moon, Alice felt safer. No walkers could sneak around when it was so bright out, she was thankful for that. Wrapping her knuckles on the truck window she called out his name, half expecting no response. "Tha' fuck d'you want?" smoking almost an entire pack had given him a huskier voice than usual and a series of coughs.

Normally he would just stew in his anger until it eventually boiled out into a long lasting grudge, noone dared come near him when he was in such a bad mood so with the appearance of Alice he was totally thrown off. "Thought I'd see if I could swipe a smoke off ya." she smiled into the steamed up window, unsure if he was paying attention to her reassuring expression. After a very long few seconds the passenger door swung open, she accepted it as the best welcome she could've hoped for. They smoked the two last cigarettes together, just enjoying them in a comfortable silence. After Alice felt some of the tension ebb away she spoke, "You still pissed?" Watching him run his hand carelessly through his hair, Alice could feel it again. Whatever it was had reignited, taking in his every feature in such close proximity, his luscious lips, chiseled jaw, muscles almost ripping free from his clothes with each puff he took, he was intoxicating. "Nah." he lied, flicking the ash out of the window.

A year ago he couldn't have even imagined such a girl would be in his truck, just lying in his passenger seat with a dreamy gaze. Her long blonde hair fell around her head, rosy lips slightly parted and her curvacious body was definitely leaning towards him. This was definitely the first chick he had been properly interested in, he couldn't resist studying every visible part of her. She was slender but curvy with a nice firm ass, a cute little face that would fit perfectly in between his hands and tits that were more than a handful. Even though she was drop dead gorgeous, the thing that was attracting him most was who she was. She knew how to handle him, most importantly she wanted to. "Liar!" she giggled, savoring the final drag, she never used to smoke, found it to be an awful habit but nowadays it was a great stress reliever. Besides it was much more likely to be eaten alive than die from a disease and she knew which one she would prefer. "Why'd ya care so much?" In a daring move he settled his hand on the edge of her seat so it grazed her thigh, no matter how hard he was trying to distance himself or not look at her he couldn't, his body moved by itself. "Because if it weren't for you I'd still be on my own." her leg pressed against his hand, letting him know it was a good move. They both knew it. Hot, steamy sex was inevitable. The only problem being Daryl's reluctance to ruin things between them, he didn't want her to regret taking that next step the morning after and losing her forever.

Somehow she had crept up his list of priorities to number one, the funny thing was he hadn't even noticed. Giving a shit about someone other than his brother felt really weird. "By the way Rick wanted to apologize." Daryl scoffed at her silence breaker, a reminder of earlier was not what he wanted to hear. "Did he?" "Yeah, things got out of hand, he regrets that...so do I." Going against Daryl had been difficult when all she wanted was to be closer to him. When he said nothing Alice knew the only way to fix this was to keep chatting away until he responded just to shut her up. "For what it's worth I know you were right...but these people don't think like us yet. Killing him there and then would've upset everyone. Just let him live a few more hours so they can say goodbye." Damn, she had a point, no chance of him admitting that though, his pride wouldn't allow it. "But if you're still sulking I can talk about something else...hmmm like one of Dale's stories. .." his eyebrow crept up suspiciously as he realized that she was trying to wind him up. "Years ago he and his wife wanted to buy a new chair-" Alice froze, Daryl's hand was cupping her cheek, his face directly in front of hers, a mischievous look hiding behind his smirk "Do you ever shut up?" No drug had ever given Daryl the same rush he was getting now, not to mention the throbbing in his crotch. Without hesitation Alice's fingers curled seductively around his arm drawing him closer, her heart was thumping and head spinning with every breath. "You gunna make me?"

Her teasing words were the final push, Daryl's lips crashed against hers hungrily, the hand on her face crept into her hair clawing a mass of locks in his grip, giving him the control. She responded with equal passion, nibbling on his bottom lip harder and harder until he replied, his tongue forcing it's way through her lips to explore her mouth. A moan accidentally slipped out, echoing in his mouth, driving him crazy. He wanted to make her moan again, scream and call out his name! Her hands dove under his shirt to scratch at his bare back as his rough kisses ran down her neck urgently, with her pleasure mounting up inside she bit down on her lip to try and contain it. Skillfully Daryl hit the catch on the chair so she sprung backward onto her back, it was then that he paused, looking down at her, remarking how beautiful she looked, with her flushed cheeks, heaving chest and swollen lips. She flashed him a cheeky smile and in a split second unhooked her bra throwing it in his face playfully. In return he removed his top, revealing his rippling muscles and hairless toned body. Alice couldn't resist running her hands over his smooth chest greatly anticipating feeling it against her breasts.

Feeling his whole form ontop of her was amazing, his skin glistened with sweat she noticed as her tongue trailed all the way down to the rim of his pants where his huge stiff bulge was barely being contained. Grasping her body in both hands he groaned into her neck, voicing pleasure was a big thing for him and Alice appreciated it. Meeting his softened eyes she touched his face, something so intimate and comforting he had never experienced before, her gesture held unspoken words to tell him how much she cared. He placed a soft kiss on her lips and lingered for a while there,enjoying her warmth and her smell, he never wanted to move. All he had wanted was right there waiting and yet he couldn't take it, he didn't want it like this, fucking her for the first time in a truck like a whore. Pulling back into his own seat was painful, having Alice in his arms in those moments had been so comfortable, so right. "Daryl-" "Not like this Alice!" he snapped.


	12. Chapter 12

Years ago in kindergarten there was a nasty little red-haired boy by the name of Frankie who, one day, had chosen to do something very naughty. He waited until the whole class of twenty kids was gathered for rhyme time and in the middle of 'Row your boat' yanked Alice's pink shorts down right to her ankles. Tears streamed from her eyes for the rest of the morning, etching it forever in her mind. So far that had been her most embarrassing moment, up until last night.

An intense moment of passion had ended so brutally. Daryl's rejection had hit her so hard, in a place so neglected inside herself it had felt like a physical blow. She hadn't been able to say a word to him or even grab her bra before leaving for a freezing cold RV for the night. It was hard to understand how they had been clicking on every level soaring up to euphoria to him suddenly erecting his walls right back up again, just to keep her out. She was furious at herself more than anything, she barely knew Daryl, how could she have put herself in such a stupid position in the first place? She had no idea that Daryl's behavior was actually a positive. If he hadn't respected the bond that was quickly forming between them he would never have turned her away.

The morning after was bound to be awkward. It always was when there was a mistake involving sex but it used to be so much easier when ignoring the phone calls was all there was to it. Alice woke abruptly, the trampling of heavy feet into the RV snapping her into consciousness. Dale, Andrea, Jaqui and Glenn crashed inside, each finding a little space to call their own. "What's going on?" Alice croaked scanning their tormented expressions. They spun round frantically wondering how someone had snuck into the RV. "Oh Alice, I thought you were with- uh..sleeping somewhere else!" Glenn spluttered, careful not to be presumptuous about her and Daryl. Dale put his arm around her shoulders in a fatherly way to break the bad news, "We're leaving; Jim is gone." She nodded sadly knowing it was like losing another family member for them. It was lucky she hadn't known him long enough to be so affected by his death. "Not quite!" Andrea huffed, the first time Alice had heard her speak since Amy passed on. Glenn turned his attention to the floor and Jaqui settled in the passenger seat neither of them wanting to be a part of this conversation. "Let's just say he's still moving around." Dale didn't reply to Andrea, the old man simply sighed and started up the RV leaving the two blonde girls to talk it over.

"Daryl was right." Alice muttered under her breath. Leaving Jim as a walker was irresponsible, if he killed someone the blood would be on their hands for not putting him out of his misery. "Yup.I guess so. He told us you were in here this morning, so don't worry we wouldn't have gone without you." Andrea's eyes softened, she was reminded of Amy looking at this new girl, the innocence her face held, her calm nature and dreamy eyes full of sadness. "Thanks. Hey I'm really sorry about your Sister. I didn't get a chance to say it before." It was still a bitter subject but Andrea was comforted a little from the sympathy. "I know you were a good her when I wasn't there. Thankyou for that." The other cars over took the slow RV, that was plodding slowly along like an overworked donkey. When Daryl passed by Alice averted her gaze from the window with a scowl. Watching Glenn sleep was much more entertaining anyway. The continuous string of dribble that slimed down his chin was something to focus on. Much more interesting than Daryl! "So how was it?" Andrea slammed her book closed, the details of someone else's sex life much more fascinating than one of Dale's dusty old books. Jaqui and Dale were engrossed in conversation and Glenn was out cold, it was safe enough to reply. "How was what?" Alice knew what she was referring to but really didn't want to talk about it. "Last night..with Daryl?" For Andrea this was a brilliant distraction from things, saucy gossip! "We just talked." No matter how cool she tried to remain, that annoying blush burnt her cheeks giving the game away way too easily.

Just picturing his gorgeous body looming over her was enough to make her feel shy about something that never happened. "Oh really? I wouldn't be surprised, he isn't exactly. ." Andrea tried to pick the right word carefully. "Very...open?" Definitely not a word she would have chosen to talk about a Dixon but Alice seemed keen on him, she didn't want to lose someone that could potentially be a good friend. Alice double checked nobody else was listening so she could explore her curiosity further. "So he's never really included himself in things?" Never hooked up with anyone else, was what she really meant. Dale turned back to smile at the girls, it was nice to see them both lively for a change. He shadowed Shane's car that trailed behind Daryl and the Grimes car that was leading. "Nope. Barely spoken two words to anyone in the few months I've known him!" That was a relief and perplexing in the same way.

Alice didn't know if she could trust Andrea to keep what was said a secret but she had to release her troubles. Andrea listened intently, nodding in all the right places as Alice described what had happened last night. "So what do you think?" It would be helpful if Andrea could shed some light on the matter, anything to make her feel at least a bit better. "Well at first I thought he was being an asshole..but when you mentioned the last thing he said to you, I changed my mind." Alice shifted closer, eyes wide with anticipation, "He said 'not like this' right?" Alice nodded in reply. "Then maybe he just didn't want to push things in a sleazy way. Look I've had my fair share of guys to know that they are all idiots but to refuse sex with someone as hot as you than there is something more to him." Just like that Alice would be forever grateful to her. Andrea had convinced her not to give up on Daryl so easily, wait and see if there was more to him that what lay on the surface. "Besides he must like you, you're the only one he talks to."


	13. Chapter 13

The fragile sliver of hope every single one of them held was shattered into pieces as the deserted CDC came into view. Military personnel bodies littered the front grounds, blood smears splattered over the useless barricades. It had fallen a long time ago, only darkness and death remained. Even with the obvious glaring, Rick didn't give up. He herded his people from the cars, ignoring any negativity spoken, focusing instead on finding a way inside. The entrance was tightly sealed closed, impenetrable. A small red light blinked on a single security camera but that was it as their shouts for help seemingly fell on deaf ears.  
All it took was a few minutes of commotion to attract the wrong kind of attention, the lingering dead were forming into a crowd, blocking the vehicles like cattle. Alice huddled by Daryl's side, as Rick continued to scream at the building, convinced that the camera had moved. Daryl noticed her by his side and instinctively moved his body infront of hers, shielding her as he loaded his crossbow so he could be ready to fight at a moments notice. "Rick! Come on!" Shane dragged his friend away from the building in some attempt to make an escape. At the last second came salvation, just as they started to flee the doors slid open, basking them in a heavenly bright light.

With a 'Ding' the elevator doors opened and a tall blonde man in a lab coat entered the foyer. "Hello I'm Dr Jenner. Once these doors close they stay closed so please assure you have all of your belongings." Rick agreed on behalf of the group and they all breathed a sigh of relief thinking that here they would be safe at last. Something didn't seem right to Alice though, her suspicious nature kept her relief buried until she could be convinced that this place was indeed the fortress it seemed.

The elevator carried them smoothly down to the bottom floor, where the huge laboratory and living space was located underground. It was impossible to tell how far below the surface it was, there were no windows but the fake breeze of air conditioning was comfort enough not to be claustrophobic about it. "So where is everyone?" Rick's voice boomed around the empty dome-shaped room. The best scientists worked here preventing diseases from spreading for generations, probably the brightest minds in America. If there was a solution to the outbreak it should of been here but the pained look on Dr Jenner's face gave it all away. He was the last one standing.

Worried looks were exchanged as Jenner told his story of how the others had either left to be with their families or opted out of the new cruel world. There was no cure and this place was certainly not salvation but he encouraged them, after partaking in mandatory blood tests, to use all of the facilities as they pleased.

Eating a huge meal until feeling bloated and gross was a luxury that Alice had never imagined she would have again. Counting calories for so many years felt so stupid now, devouring food without a second thought was the way to do it. The best part of the lavish two course meal of rice, processed chicken and cookies was the alcohol. Alice stared in disbelief at Daryl gulping it down like water without even losing his balance or slurring. Alice had a couple of shots of whisky from the bottle of Jack Daniels that Daryl had only shared with her. She didn't want to get drunk, just feel the warm buzz to relax like the rest of the group. Daryl however wasn't satisfied with her only having a couple, he needed her alot more woozy to attempt any kind of reconciliation over last night. "C'mon girl, drink up!" It was hard not to join in, the festive spirits in the room were contagious, happiness was catching.

The two children were bursting with happiness as they flung open the game room door. Alice couldn't help but remark how sweet it was to see their little faces all lit up like it was Christmas morning. The only downside was not being allowed to use the game consoles and because of their drain on power. Still, there was more than enough board games, comics, books and toys, to keep them busy for a very long time.

When Carl and Sophia coaxed her into a game of monopoly Alice was overjoyed. Carelessly dumped into numerous children's homes over the course of her life she hadn't had the luxury of games, even monopoly. Shuddering at the thought she plastered a huge smile onto her face to will the bad memories away.

Having a stable home meant that the mothers of the group could enforce a bedtime. The children made a huge fuss at first but once they were tucked into a cosy and warm bed their protests turned into snores.

Doctor Jenner expressed regret that he couldn't stay up to celebrate longer with the ecstatic group and slumped off to his own sleeping quarters. It was plain to see how deeply troubled he was, his quaky voice held no passion at all, he seemed to have switched onto autopilot as he accepted the inevitable. Just as he turned the corner he called back "If you take showers just go easy on the hot water!" Alice glanced across at Daryl who cocked his eyebrow in response. "Wow! So who wants to go first?" Rick laughed, raising his glass of red wine into the air. Alice did the same with the small glass of whisky that she had been nursing for an hour. "Booya!" Daryl chorused as every glass in the room was risen in a cheer.

Alice didn't mind waiting till last to shower, she was in no hurry at all thanks to the lovely company of Daryl, Glenn and Carol. "I had my doubts but this place is amazing!" Glenn's grin stretched from ear to ear. Alice handed a fresh bottle of whisky over to Daryl who opened it for her without question. He took a long swig and handed it back to watch the short neck disappear into her luscious mouth. The alcohol had lost its burn now, Alice was gulping it down like a professional. "Steady on." Carol chuckled, patting Alice on the back as she spluttered with a warm smile brightening up her worn face. The two women had occupied a squeaky leather sofa and the men had the dining table to themselves. "It's good shit!" Daryl prompted, moving over to the arm of the sofa to take another swig. "You're both as bad as each other." Carol teased gently, her eyes met Glenn's and an unspoken conversation took place in a matter of seconds. "I'm uhh going to get...my shower now." Glenn announced strangely before stumbling into a chair. The funny thing was that the defenseless chair hadn't even been anywhere near him, Glenn had walked diagonally into it, crashing to the floor. "I'm going to get him back to his room." Carol was surprisingly strong, she bundled the young man up and with his arm flung around her shoulders marched him off. "Somebody can't handle their drink!" Alice laughed hysterically, alcohol always hit her in the same way, everything became really funny.

Reaching out for the bottle with blurred vision Alice couldn't understand how her fingers weren't connecting with glass but a denim like material instead. In her drunken state she grabbed at it again, certain that this time it would go as planned. "Alice, stop it!" Daryl clasped her hand roughly to prevent her from groping his crotch again. At first he'd welcomed the gesture, both surprised and impressed by her random move but once he saw the expression on her face he realized that she was just pissed and had no idea what she was doing. "W-what?" She stammered in confusion.


	14. Chapter 14

The coffee machined brewed busily away in the corner of the room, a tap in the adjoining kitchen dripping into the silence. Pouring two steaming cups of black coffee, Daryl returned to the sofa where Alice was dozing. "Hey. Ya can't sleep 'ere, girl." With comfy beds available for a change it would be crazy to let her nap on a cold chair. "I was just resting my eyes." Alice retorted defensively with an eccentric giggle. Downing the coffee in a couple of sips, she felt the hot black liquid bringing back sobriety. "Thanks. You make really nice coffee." Daryl rolled his eyes with a snigger, happy to see one beverage had done the trick.

"Couldn't imagine you working at Starbucks before all of this though!" The thought of Daryl welcoming customers and serving coffee with a smile was so funny, especially picturing him wearing the trademark apron. Definitely would have brought more customers in though, Alice for one would have been a regular just to stare at him, wonder why he wasn't working as a model. They chatted like old friends for a while longer, the space between them on the sofa disappearing within a few minutes. Daryl had sneakily snaked his arm onto the back of the chair so that she was in grabbing distance. "Ya know all 'bout Merle now, come on." He had been sharing stories of his adventures with his wild brother, something he hadn't done before and was hoping she might open up aswell. So far she been skillfully dodging any questions about her old life but he needed to know all about her, who she was. "You want to know about me, why?" By spinning the conversation back around to him she tried to wriggle out of the situation but Daryl was one step ahead. "I ain't gunna judge ya."

She painfully recounted her own life as quickly as possible, Daryl learned how she had grown up in different care homes and had never felt like she belonged anywhere in her whole life. That sounded very familiar to Daryl, he had always been an outcast. Moving on, she decided to open up about the day of the outbreak in Atlanta. "I was hanging out with two guys I had grown up with for four years, they were like brothers, you know. Anyway we were drinking in a bar when walkers just came out of nowhere, people started dropping like flies. It was chaotic, blood everywhere, you couldn't tell who was bit and who wasn't, when my brothers turned I was the last one standing...I don't know how I did it but I managed to kill them and fight my way out."

It was so clear now, this whole time Alice had been weighed down by this horrible guilt. She felt like she had murdered the only two people who felt like family in cold blood and it was tormenting her. "Alice, It weren't ya fault." Up until then she had managed to hold it together but Daryl's surprising kindness and reassuring words pushed her over the edge of self control.

She nuzzled her tear-stained face into his chest, feeling the heavy burden she had been dragging around for so long begin to lift. "You think so?" Daryl wrapped his strong arms around her trembling fragile body, swearing to himself that he would never let her suffer again. "I ain't got reason ta lie." Alice gave him a squeeze back, she never wanted to let him go, in his arms nothing could touch her. "Thankyou Daryl.." she held her breath for a minute as she built up the courage to say what she felt. He waited patiently for her next words so her body could finally relax into his grip. "Don't ever die." she pleaded, tilting her chin to look deeply into his eyes. "Nothin' can kill me."

Hot water cascaded down onto two naked bodies that were fiercely entwined in the small shower cubicle. A thick mist of steam engulfed the entire room, leaving the two figures barely visible. They had been taking their time to scrub each other clean, to explore every inch of the other's body. Daryl's lips didn't leave one patch of her smooth lathered skin untouched but he was very gentle with her this time. When Alice's turn came she tenderly kissed his chest and trailed slowly down to his thighs making him harden against his will. "Do ma back will ya?" She placed a tiny kiss on the tip of his growing penis with a giggle and did as she was told. Massaging shower gel into his shoulders she worked hard to relieve some of the tension he carried around.

The deep purple scars that were lashed over his back were hard not to notice but she made sure not to let on. If he had wanted to explain the marks he would have brought it up himself. When he groaned in satisfaction she slid her arms around his body and drew herself into him. "You weren't getting over exited there, were you, Mr Dixon?" Taking hold of her slippery arms he spun her around so that they were intimately face to face. "Don't push yer luck." He caught her smirk with a rough kiss that took her breath away, his bristley beard scratching her chin. Daryl was trying to move slowly, for her sake, but he hadn't considered how difficult it would be to resist temptation when he had invited her to shower with him. A fight was raging on constantly, a part of him was trying to respect her and their friendship but the larger part desperately wanting to give in to his urges. "Right." She smiled weekly and without another word hopped out of the shower, pulling a fluffy towel around herself. Last time they had gotten naughty it had ended embarrassingly for Alice, she didn't want to repeat it. "What?" He huffed chasing her down the corridor wearing only a small white towel around his waist. "Nothing." She lied, ducking into her bedroom where hers and Daryl's clothes were sprawled out over the carpet. The scientist who had used this room had been a woman, she had left it practically untouched except for the clothes that were still hanging in the wardrobe. "Alright." Daryl shrugged helplessly, he hadn't known any woman long enough to know that when 'nothing' was wrong, everything was wrong.

A floaty red dress caught her eye, Alice pulled it over her head in an instant and was suddenly grateful for the lack of food over the months, it would never have fit before. "You pissed me off in your truck the last time." She shot across the room in admission to where he lingered in the doorway. In an instant his expression shifted into one of anger, his softened eyes crinkled into a frown and his grin took a downward turn into a scowl. "If ya just wanted a quickie tha's fine. I can jus' fuck yer brains out right now!" She didn't appreciate the sarcasm in his voice at all, she could feel one hell of an argument brewing. "Of course that's not what I want!" She snapped angrily. Daryl stared her down, unflinching at her sudden change of tone. In protest she made an attempt to storm dramatically out of the room but Dixons don't play games. Daryl grasped her hand, dragging her back forcibly into the room. "What do you want then?!" No more messing around, this was it. "You! Ok, I just want you, Daryl! Lord knows why!" Being honest about their feelings wasn't that difficult afterall! Neither of them was too damaged for love like they had been suspecting. "Good. Same here. Now le's get some sleep, yer wearin' me out, girl." The hunter stated simply and flashed a toothy grin.


	15. Chapter 15

Daryl led her into their double bed like it was the most normal thing in the world. Their bare skin slid under the satin duvet with ease and into a tight embrace. Seconds later she was snoring quietly away but he stayed awake for a little while longer just to watch her sleep. For whatever reason she had been brought into his life, he might not have wanted the responsibility of another person but now she gave him purpose and he wouldn't want it any other way. She was his to protect and he would do just that- no matter what.

Breakfast was lively the following morning, it was a wonder what a good night's sleep could do for a group of very tired people. Carl made sure that Alice sat with him and his parents so he could tell her all about the book he had been reading last night. Her mind was still in bed where she had left Daryl sleeping but she managed to pick up on the words 'frog' and 'dragon'. "Wow! Sounds awesome." She enthused. "How's your head, Alice?" Carol chirped over T-dog's famous scrambled eggs. "I didn't drink that much!" Alice threw her scrunched up napkin over at a whining Glenn, he laughed from between his hands "That's evil." Glenn was the only one looking rough, so Alice shifted the attention back to him. Andrea refilled every cup on the table with more coffee even if it wasn't wanted, it had been a long time since they had hot coffee and she was going to take advantage of that.

"I think I'm dying." Glenn moaned in a bid for extra sympathy when the focus of the group had become Shane and the scratches on his neck. Alice climbed through the bustling crowd to give him a cuddle, followed by Carol and Dale. The old man shared some words of wisdom and Carol had some useful tips on home hangover cures but Glenn seemed more interested in getting another cuddle. "You'll be fine." Alice swiped him with a manly punch instead, feeling the moment had passed.

Alice managed to stockpile the rest of the eggs and a pot of black coffee for when Daryl joined them. The idea of taking breakfast to him in bed seemed a bit premature. The breakfast things were cleared away, by the women as usual, they made sure to leave everything spotless. "Where's Daryl?" Rick addressed his question to noone in particular. All eyes automatically fell on Alice, she tried to shrink away from the spotlight but it was no use. It had been the topic of conversation before Alice had woken up, Andrea had been up all night and heard them arguing. Before Alice could utter a word, the man himself entered the room and into an uncomfortable silence. "Morning Daryl." A selection of voices chorused cheerily.

Alice laid his breakfast out on the table and moved to the other side of the room, she didn't want to take credit for it, people were suspicious enough already. Daryl spotted her in the corner chatting with Jaqui and sent a wink in her direction. Dr Jenner skulked in not too long after Daryl, looking even more depressed than the previous night. He was greeted with the usual greetings which did nothing to lighten his mood. Alice was glad when Dale struck up a question about the work that had been going on down here. "How about I show you?" The doctor proposed, leading the group to his workstation. Daryl didn't budge, learning about a disease was nowhere near as important as eating. "It's weird having a normal breakfast again, huh?" Alice smiled at the handsome Dixon really enjoying his meal. "You got somethin' against ma squirrels?" He asked sweetly, sliding the dining chair next to him out. She allowed a pent up giggle to echo across the room, glancing across to the others. They were staring at a huge computer screen with a skeletal figure displayed, Jenner speaking methodically about what was happening. Alice didn't want to hear about how the disease killed its victim or how there was no cure, knowledge wasn't going to increase their chances of survival. "Of course not, your squirrels are the best." Pushing his plate away, Daryl recoiled from the table in a stretch. "Damn right. What happened to ya this mornin'?" He reached over to plant a sloppy kiss on her lips, after he made sure that nobody was watching. "I wanted you to sleep." She beamed, returning his kiss but lingering a little longer than he had, revealing how much she had missed him. He caught her lips as she pulled back, deepening the kiss and slotting his tongue into her mouth, her own tongue sprung into action to tackle his. "Daryl! Alice!" Rick's booming voice was so full of fear that it struck terror onto them both.

There wasn't time to be pissed of at Rick, he explained in a flurry of words and panicky motions that in less than one hour the CDC would implode. In a pointless mission, Rick, Shane, Glenn and T-dog headed straight into the basement, hoping to be able to prevent the blast manually. Meanwhile the others rushed to collect their belongings in a dizzy crowd. Alice was calm, running around like a headless chicken wasn't going to help anything. She sat quietly observing Jenner, "You can't stop it. Once that power runs out it's all over. The government never wanted the nasty things that we research getting out." His words were alarming, he had resigned himself to this fate already but she hadn't. "So that's it? This place was the last one like it still standing?" Daryl had caught up with Rick and was darting over to where she sat. As the timer counted down to the final few minutes, the heavy steel doors sealed tightly closed trapping everyone into the one room like caged animals. "Open the doors." Rick requested authoritatively, the terrified expressions of his wife and son cutting him like a knife. "I can't. Anyway it's easier like this, a quick death in here or slow suffering out there?" Jenner swigged from a bottle of whisky and prepared to make his final documentation incase somebody ever needed to know what happened. "Dad, are we going to die?" Carl's chilling words echoed through the room, causing all that heard it to shudder. Instinctively, Alice grabbed Daryl's hand, she didn't know what else to do.

Shane took an axe made for fire escapes and tried in vein to hack a metal door down. Daryl looked down at the woman clutching his hand, he had to do something, they couldn't die here. "Open the fucking door!" Daryl roared, brandishing his hunting knife with the intent to kill. "Daryl, stop!" Rick and T managed to restrain the hunter before he drew blood. "You can't decide this for us. Just give us the chance to keep going..." Alice paused to glance over at Daryl, "Let us be together as long as we can." Jenner was touched by her words, he hadn't imagined that people would rather take a shot at living in chaos than throwing in the towel. "Please." Rick chimed in, his eyes pleading for their lives.

With two minutes to spare the survivors ran through the open door with every ounce of energy they had. "Don't leave my side." Daryl whispered to Alice as they reached the entrance, who knew what awaited them outside. Now the only thing between them and freedom was bullet proof glass or the main entrance doors that were built to withstand a rocket launcher. "Quick!" Screamed Shane, taking his axe to the glass window. T-dog joined in with a metal chair but even with their combined effort they could only chip it.

In the midst of the chaos Daryl turned to the frightened girl who was huddled against his side, deeply regretting falling asleep last night, he wished he had held her all night. One night wasn't enough, he wanted to hold her until the end of time. It was the first time in his life that he had felt truly happy and she felt the same, he knew it. Carol handed something the size of a lemon over to Rick and rushed past the couple to take cover. "Get down!" Alice pulled Daryl to where Carol was cowering from the grenade blast. The glass shattered into a thousand pieces and one by one the survivors clambered out.

Seconds before the explosion the group, except for three, were safely back in their vehicles. When Dale and Andrea appeared the realization that Jaqui had stayed behind hit them all, she had opted out. The floor shook and the air was burning hot as the flames from the CDC spread out as far as possible in the hope it could devour another life. Luckily it didn't, only Jaqui and Dr Jenner had passed on but at least they had gone on their own terms.

When the dust had settled, there was a minute to absorb what had happened before the engines revved into action. Daryl hoisted himself up onto the driver's seat, unpinning Alice from his truck floor. "Phew. Close one, huh?" She laughed, in such a situation you either laugh or cry; crying wasn't her style. "Yeah." Cool as ever, Daryl barely reacted, he was pissed at himself for getting emotional before. Merle would have called him a pussy and Daryl wouldn't have disagreed. With no destination in mind, the group drove on trying to keep the faith alive but it was hard, Jenner had given their hope a knock.


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey readers! Hope everyone had a good christmas!**

Only an hour had passed but it had felt like forever. Nobody could, or wanted to talk about what had happened or what was coming next. America's hope had fallen, any chance of a cure died along with the last scientist. "Shit!" Daryl cursed, grinding the truck to a whiplashing stop. "What's wrong?" Alice yawned, more trouble already was exhausting stuff. "No gas." He shrugged in reply with a slight grin. "Uh-oh. So what are we gunna do?" He smiled, "Ma brother's bike's gotta full tank. Ya ridden before, right?" She clambered out after him, eyeing up the menacing black motor bike. "Problem?" Shane called out of his window as the vehicles ground to a halt to wait. Alice grabbed both hers and Daryl's belongings from the trunk and slung them over her shoulder. "Nah, ya can keep movin, we'll catch up." Daryl seemed alot more comfortable on their new ride, it really suited him. She hopped very ungracefully onto the bike and tried to position herself somewhat comfortably behind Daryl, who was secretly smiling to himself. He started up the engine and purposely lurched the bike suddenly forward, Alice let out a squeal and grabbed hold of him tightly as they flew past the group.

The harsh wind ripped against their faces as they tore along the motor way, Alice clutched Daryl tighter, terrified she would fall off at any second. It wasn't necessary to drive so fast but Daryl took great pleasure in scaring her. The higher the speed, the tighter she held him. What he wouldn't give to have met her long before all of this, having someone like her in his life meant things would have turned out very differently. If Alice had been by his side then he wouldn't have had to deal drugs, steal or beat people up. Going to prison was the last thing he would have wanted with such a beautiful girl belonging only to him. He caught her looking at him from the corner of his eye and gradually slowed right down to a full stop. They were far enough ahead now that they could take a break to give the others a chance to catch up.

"Thanks." Alice blushed as Daryl hoisted her off the bike. After sitting in a straddling position for such a long time she had developed awful cramp in her legs and found it impossible to swing her legs over to get down. There was an awkward couple of seconds, as he held her like his bride, where they both accepted the things that would never be. Getting married, having kids, going on dates where all just things of dreams now. "S' all right." He coughed into the silence and lowered her to the floor like a fragile object. All was quiet. No walkers. Nothing. One of the things that haunted Alice most was the silence of places that used to buzz. Standing out on the abandoned high way, out in the open, Alice shivered. If she would have known that they would be on the run again so soon she never would've chosen a dress to wear. Unhooking her backpack from Merle's bike she rummaged desperately inside. Comic books, tins and packets of food lay snuggled together at the very bottom but that was it. Doing a quick double take confirmed it was her bag but the items inside weren't. "Problem?" She handed her pack over to him with a look of dismay etched onto her face. "Someone took my stuff." They came to the conclusion that Carl must be the culprit, Alice had asked him to grab her stuff along with his own. The sneaky kid had left her clothes behind! Daryl measured her figure up with his eyes, wondering if his spare pair of jeans might just cling to her with his belt fastened tightly. He knew how loosely his spare shirt would drape over her delicate frame and he suddenly realized that he loved the thought. "Come on, I gotta idea."

Alice stripped down right before his eyes, slower than she usually undressed. He barely breathed and didn't blink once, entirely captivated by his girl. It was only when she began to pull clothes around herself that he stepped in. Wrapping her up in things that belonged to him gave him a sense of pride. "Hey?" She whispered softly, running her fingers through his tangled hair. He was kneeling by her feet to adjust her slightly rusted belt that was too stiff for her to operate. Her massaging fingers caused his eyelids to droop, only she had the ability to make him relax. With the buckle set on the tightest hole his work was done, they didn't fit all too bad after all, he clambered back to his feet, wrapping his arms snugly around her waist. "Hm?" He sighed dreamily. "If you took me on a date where would you have taken me?" It was a silly question but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder. To her surprise he was actually considering the question seriously. She had half expected him to brush it off or just ignore her but he was also thoughtful about what could've been. Daryl knew already how they would have spent their first evening together but he didn't want Alice to know that he had pictured it hundreds of times before.

He would have taken her fishing out on a secluded lake back in Georgia, near where he grew up, a place where he had spent numerous weeks on end with just a fishing pole and his Dad's old boat for company. The attraction of the place was the silence and only he knew about it. He wanted to share such a place with her that would keep out the cruel world that had treated them both so badly. As they camped out under the stars at the end of the day she would realize what he had been trying to show her- all they would ever need was each other. "Got no idea." Alice pouted at his answer but didn't shy away from his grip. Momentarily lost in thought, Daryl gazed at her with such intensity she became aroused by his smouldering glare. The way he enveloped her in his arms only sent her heart racing further and his tender kiss was just what she needed.

The journey from the CDC had felt unbearably long, he had been waiting to feel her lips again this whole time. She responded just as desperately as he squeezed her into his body. He wanted to strip her down again so he could begin to show her the kind of closeness he desired. Both of them equally wanted to express the feelings still hanging in the air from almost losing each other at the CDC in the only way they knew how. Now wasn't the time or the place though. "Don' give a shit where we end up next so long as it has a bed." Daryl groaned breathlessly, pressing his forehead to hers, as their eyes locked, the familiar jolt of electricity teased their pleading bodies.


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks guys for the lovely reviews,follows and faves, it really means alot. Hope you enjoy this chapter aswell! :)**

The graveyard of cars that faced them now was a haunting sight. Alice nuzzled her face into Daryl's back once she spotted a bloodied child's car seat in one of the abandoned vehicles. He switched off the bike's engine, seeing no way through the junkyard maze and clutched her hand in return.

The others left the safety of their own vehicles to scavenge what they could before attempting to clear a path. Looting from the dead so they could keep going a little longer was something most of them were accustom to by now, all of them except for Lori. The Sheriff's wife sneered with disdain, refusing to help. "Stuck up bitch." Daryl muttered under his breath, Alice nodded and began to nose around for something useful.

Among the dusty old corpses were their most treasured possessions, items so precious to them but completely useless to anyone else. Alice purposely avoided paying attention to those things, family photos and favorite teddy bears was all that was left of the poor people that had perished so early in the apocalypse. In a way they were lucky, especially if they had passed on quickly, things were only going to get worse.

She pounced on the first redneck truck she saw, the best bet for guns and ammunition. The fat guy still strapped inside was definitely dead but with a baseball cap covering his sunken gray face she had to be sure how dead he was. Sliding her blade through the open window with such precision, she was able to pierce into his brain without any response. Slowly, she swung the door open, always cautious of anything that had once been alive and was reaching over to undo his seat belt when Daryl shouted her name.

Daryl had glanced away from where Alice was standing for barely a minute to reply to something Rick was whispering, when he turned back she had vanished. Fear gripped him first but anger was the feeling that overpowered his senses, Rick's walker warning fell on deaf ears. Daryl sought her out to a truck far away from the rest of the group, catching her in the process of removing a dead body from the drivers seat when he called her. She smiled at him and continued what she was doing, oblivious to what she had done wrong. Daryl sighed, giving her a hand shifting the fat redneck and joined her in the truck without saying a word.

"I knew it!" She squealed excitedly, she had uncovered a handgun and almost thirty boxes of bullets under an old blanket in the back. "Here." He requested the gun, she obliged and was still smiling proudly as he checked it over. "S' all good. Nice find, girl." He caressed her cheek softly, regretting worrying so much about such a resourceful chick, after all she had survived alone for months before he found her.  
With the ammo stuffed between their backpacks the back of the truck looked so spacious. It was impossible to guess when they might be alone together again and Daryl was dangerously toying with the idea of taking advantage of the privacy they had. The blanket was sprawled out so invitingly and with the stench of death fading quickly from the truck it was about as romantic as they could hope for. "What you thinkin'?" Alice teased, playfully nudging his rippling abs. "The same thin' I'm always thinkin' 'bout. You." Alice fell into his embrace, her skin burning with ecstasy from his caressing touch.

With such devastation around Alice had craved to be smothered by his big strong arms again. Last night she had slept soundly, having Daryl close made her feel so safe and now especially, with the future looking bleak she needed that same reassurance. The emptiness inside of him was calling out for her to fill that void, make him feel wanted. He nestled his face deep into her mass of hair absorbing her natural scent, an aroma just like roses. A whisper tickled at his ears but it took him a while to hear the words from his blissful state. "I think something is wrong."

The others had fallen deadly silent, minutes earlier their excited chatter had filled the air. Daryl led the way back up to the main road as stealthily as possible, Alice acting as his shadow. Daryl was the first to spot them, a crowd of the undead seeking out their next meal, the strong breeze had carried the living human scent to where they had congregated. Alice had been in a similar situation before, back then she had chosen to run which only attracted more. This time she followed Daryl without question, so far he had a good track record keeping her safe.

The abandoned cars served as great cover from the approaching herd of walkers, Alice and Daryl ducked and crawled between them toward the RV. Dale was urging them over from the rooftop, praying to God they could make it in time. The sorrowful groans were getting louder, Alice spotted the first dozen seeping through the unmoving traffic barely ten feet away but Daryl showed no signs of fleeing.

The original plan of lying low ontop of the RV was scrapped, Daryl knew that if they were spotted by even one walker the herd would all be drawn over too. With time running out and the threat of a slow death looming he scanned the area for a decent place to lie fast, he pulled his girl under the nearest car and threw himself on top of her form to assure she didn't make a sound. Alice wasn't panicking at all now, Daryl confidently held her stare as the undead staggered slowly by. The couple began breathing in unison to almost become one as one walker ground to a sudden halt. Then Daryl seemed to stop breathing all together, his hand snaking into her trouser leg to arm himself with her knife, his instincts told him to remain hidden but his heart pushed him to protect her no matter what. It was a large walker, he knew that if Alice had the same idea and took it down she wouldn't be able to prevent it's heavy corpse landing with a thud. Upon seeing the determination forming in his eyes Alice cupped his face between both hands, rubbing her thumbs against his chin, feeling the bristles of his slight beard scratch against her fingertips. Daryl was surprised by the sense of calm he was now experiencing in the face of danger, his body falling limp at her touch...


	18. Chapter 18

Eventually the highway returned to its deserted state, the hoarde had moved on to the next unsuspecting survivors. Alice had assumed that they had been lucky, nobody had gotten killed but unfortunately the reality was much worse. Sophia was gone. From the sketchy details her frantic mum provided, a walker had chased her into some nearby forestry. Rick had taken Shane and Glenn after her but that was a while ago.  
Carol was inconsolable no matter how much Lori, Alice and Andrea tried, she just wanted her little girl back.

Daryl pulled Alice to one side, with a hoarde passing so recently he hated to leave her but Sophia's only chance was him, noone else could track like a Dixon. "Alice I'm goin' after them, stay put, alright?" It was the first time they would be separated since meeting, Daryl was more important that the air she breathed but Alice knew he had to go. "Sure, see you in a bit." She hoped that came out as casually as she had wanted it to, now was not a time for her to be a clingy girlfriend. He turned to leave without another word, knowing how difficult this was for her because he felt exactly the same but after taking a single step away he hesitated. Three words lingered on his dry cracking lips, images of losing her flashing gruesomely through his mind shaking him to his very core. He hated how weak she made him. "Make sure you bring my knife back, Dixon." It wasn't goodbye that she shouted, just a guarantee that he had to come back even if it was just to return her knife.

By nightfall the men had returned, all of them except for Daryl. Rick headed straight for Carol, as the one who had failed to rescue Sophia he felt it his duty to break the bad news that the little girl had completely vanished. Alice reached out to Shane who was nearest, her voice trembling with desperation, "Where's Daryl?" Shane lowered the shotgun he had been balancing on his shoulder to the ground with an all mighty sigh. "He wanted to keep searching a bit longer. We couldn't see a goddamn thing." Alice placed a hand on his sweaty back, she could see he was taking this hard and she felt for him. "And no sign of Sophia?" What chance did a fragile little girl have on her own? "I don't think there'll be no sign of her no more."

Carol's heart wrenching sobs continued on into the night, her tears drenching her pillow. Alice hadn't budged from the edge of the road, praying silently to see Daryl and Sophia emerging from the forest at any moment. Minutes dragged by into hours without any hope, every rustling bush causing Alice's heart to skip a beat. She was getting tired but she felt like if she left her position Daryl might never return. Shane's boots crunched on the concrete so heavily that she knew it was him before he even began to speak. "You gotta be tired, Dale's on watch anyway. Why don't you get some rest?" Dale's eyesight wasn't what it used to be, Alice couldn't rely on the oldest guy in the group to spot something important. "No thanks. I'm not tired." Within the group it was fine making small talk with Shane but whenever he caught her alone he made her uneasy; especially now she was missing her trusty knife. "You really think he appreciates you standing here worrying about him?" The lack of attention always brought out the worst in Shane. Lori wanted nothing to do with him anymore, he blamed Rick for that and now he was pissed at Daryl for his only other shot at being needed by someone. "Doesn't matter if he likes it or not. When he comes back I'll be here waiting."

"If he comes back." Shane sniggered, nudging her in a friendly kind of way, even though his tone was anything but friendly. The sudden temperature drop had nothing to do with why Alice began to shudder. "Anyway.. thanks for checking up on me." Instead of taking the blatant hint, Shane threw his arm around her trying to draw her shuddering body closer. Since she had joined the group Alice had caught his eye, her heaving breasts, firm ass and playful nature around Daryl had been a welcome distraction from Lori. The hunter had made sure Shane couldn't get her alone though, even from the other side of camp he had watched over her like a hawk. Now Daryl was out of the way, even for little while, he couldn't resist making a pass.  
"Stoppit." Alice kept her voice emotionless, shrugging Shane's heavy arm off from her shoulders. "Oh come on. I'm just messing." The warm smile on his face couldn't mask the evil look in his hollow eyes, Alice knew he could be a dangerous man, she had met people like him before. Looking desperately around she noticed Dale had vanished from ontop of the RV and even Carol had fallen silent, nobody was around to witness or prevent anything that might happen, her heart sank.

For the first time Alice felt weak. The man in front of her was heavily built to twice her size and seemed to tower above her. Shane had refused to leave her alone no matter how many times she asked him to and was invading her personal space far too much. In a last polite attempt she tried to use Daryl as a way to scare him away. "Shane..me and Daryl are together, he wouldn't be happy about this. So please just back off." Her hand hovered over where her knife usually sat, her reflex was second nature. "C'mon, I won't say nothing. Let's have a bit of fun, forget all this shit." No matter how hard she struggled against him, Alice couldn't prevent Shane from kissing her. He was too strong, his fingers dug into the bones in her arms as she fought back. A torch light illuminated the sweat glistening on her forehead, Dale had returned from a long break and had spotted the commotion just in time. Alice almost vomited as Shane released her sore mouth, "Phew. To be continued." He laughed with a filthy wink.

"What was going on?" Dale demanded from the shivering girl in his arms. Glenn had taken over the watch as soon as Shane had strode back to his truck, so that Dale could see to Alice. The old man had woken Glenn with a sense of urgency, judging by Alice's expression Shane was the man he thought he was. She simply shook her head in response to his question, too shocked by what had just happened to speak. "Guys, look!" Glenn called, pointing the torch to a shadowy figure emerging from the darkness. Alice felt warm tears welling up as Daryl jogged over, alone. Sophia was still out there but at least Daryl had returned safe and sound.

For the next few hours, until the soft orange glow of the sunset seeped onto the highway, Daryl lay with Alice on the cold floor in the back of one abandoned truck. He mentioned a little about his findings in the forest but that was about all that was said. Alice lay awake, clinging onto Daryl as he drifted in and out of sleep. She had been shaken to her very core, Shane had inflicted a feeling of being helpless and she hated that. Now she had a burden to bare aswell, she couldn't reveal what had happened, the group needed to work together to find Sophia and she didn't want to be responsible for causing a rift that would leave the little girl alone any longer.


	19. Chapter 19

**Definitely my fave chapter to write so far ;)**

"Mornin'." Daryl's voice was husky first thing in the morning, a deeper voice perfectly matched his messy bed hair. "Good morning." Alice replied with a weak smile, placing a kiss lovingly on his lips. Waking up to Alice in his arms still made him the happiest man in the world regardless of how grim everything else was. Noticing her puffy eyes and scarily pale skin he drew her closer, holding her against his bare chest. During the chillier hours he had used his shirt as a blanket, it barely made a difference but it made him feel better. "What's wrong?"

The others began to stir, tins of cold baked beans were being methodically opened by Andrea, search plans were being discussed among the men. Alice pulled herself ontop of Daryl's buff body, almost grinning at his surprised expression. Using her index finger, Alice slowly traced every feature on his face from his dreamy blue eyes all the way to the bristley brown hair on his chiseled jaw- he was so gorgeous. "I just missed you, tha's all." She finally replied. Daryl studied her expression for a while, she looked troubled by something she wasn't willing to share and he respected that. There were things he didn't feel like sharing too, like how much he had ached to be with her again when he was out looking for Sophia. It was like a vital organ was missing, he couldn't function properly when they were apart and it was painful.

Hearing her admit that she felt the same was somewhat a relief, her emerald eyes dazzled when he smiled in return. At least for a few seconds they could be happy. Caught up in the heat of the moment, Daryl spun her over in a bold move, pinning her to the floor. Alice bit down on her lip as his head disappeared under her shirt and he began to cover her entire breasts with kisses. Soon it wasn't just her body he was all over but he was completely inside her head aswell, every little spot she secretly longed to be touched he found and hit it with such intensity she quivered in pleasure. Daryl could feel himself losing control, normally he could contain his wild nature but she brought out his primal side.

It wouldn't be long before he'd have to go all the way, Alice had started moaning his name making him harden like a rock and sweat profusely just to try and hold out a bit longer. She managed to escape from his tight grip to slide further beneath him, taking his manhood into her moistened mouth greedily. The deeper she drew him in the louder his groans became until he was set to erupt. He shifted his position once again so that they could be face-to-face, something neither of them had experienced before. Intimacy during sex was strange, both Daryl and Alice had never cared so deeply about anyone else. He couldn't get rid of the smile that was spread across his worn face; how had one girl made him feel like this?

They kissed so passionately, entwined in each other's bodies until not one inch of naked skin was left unexplored. Alice wrapped her legs around his waist, hinting that she was ready for the next stage. Entering inside of a woman had never felt so good, so right, it took ever ounce of Daryl's self control not to explode with the first thrust. He grinned in excitement as her nails dug into his back, it spurred him on to move faster and harder so she couldn't help but shout his name out loud. Arching her body violently Alice experienced a heavenly orgasm in unison with her lover. Daryl had managed to withdraw himself just in time, ejaculating instead over her toned stomach. They lay breathlessly in a blissful state of happiness, sweat dribbling from their red faces, happy and madly in love.

"Isn't funny how you didn't want to do it in a truck." Alice recalled whilst pulling her trousers back on and adjusting the top that had somehow managed to remain on. Daryl was dressing himself and loading the handgun she had found the day before, his eyes never leaving her even for a second. "I wanted it to be nice for ya but we can't wait around for some posh ass hotel, right?" He smiled and gently smoothed her hair into place. "Right. It was nice by the way." Daryl cocked an eyebrow suspiciously, "It was nice?" Hearing the same words spoken from his mouth Alice could hear how patronizing it sounded. "Ok. What I meant is it was incredibly incredible." She giggled. It was the truth, she had never made love like that before, she was still flying on cloud nine. "Damn right. Pissed at myself for waitin'. You're so fuckin' hot, girl."

They clambered out of their little love nest, in a silent agreement about trying to act as normal as possible and just focus on finding Sophia. "Daryl, can I get my knife back?" Seeing the survivors gathered in the distance, Shane in particular, Alice was reminded how badly she needed her weapon back. "Do ya want the gun aswell?" He offered, hearing her need for protection sound so urgent. "Nah, too noisy."

Having her trusty blade strapped back on to her thigh again she breathed a sigh of relief, no matter what came at her this time she would be ready.  
Instead if the usual morning greetings, the group sadly nodded to each other in recognition. Rick stepped up and suggested the plan of action for the day. "We should pick up where Daryl left off last night. Dale and T-dog should stay behind to keep an eye on things here and try to shift some of these cars." Carol looked sheepishly at their leader, worried that Sophia would be left behind once the traffic was shifted. "We won't leave without Sophia, right Rick?." Alice spoke up for Carol insistently. "Right. We're just getting prepared so that as soon as we find her we can move on." Some of the group exchanged doubtful glances, adults rarely survived alone let alone a child. They all still had plenty of reassuring words for Carol though, whether they believed it or not.


End file.
